A Charmed Story 5: 20 Weddings And A Funeral?
by crazyDFFgang
Summary: It was kind of his childhooddream... And their honeymoon seemed to be the right time to fullfil it. But life is never that simple, especially when your name is Halliwell. !COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

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**

* * *

A Charmed Story - Part Five:  
20 Weddings And A Funeral?  
Chapter 1 **

"Mom? Are you ok?"  
Piper heard Chris's voice in the lounge and frowend... 'Could that even be possible?' She left the broken dish on the table, and licking the injured finger and sucking the blood, she made her way towards her son's voice.  
"Mom! I heard you cry in pain, are you ok?" Chris was in the middle of the room, holding Bianca's hand and looking up as if he was trying to sense his mother.  
His countenance was pale and worried as he walked to her. She rolled her eyes and showed him the finger: "Chris, sweety, you need to calm down! I'm ok! We're all ok! You need to relax, for God's Sake, you're in your honeymoon!" She seemed to be really irritated, maybe feeling a bit guilty for being the cause of Chris's continuous interruptions of his deserved break. Bianca sighed and smiled at her, understandingly.  
"I'm sorry, mom... After all that stuff of the Sorix order, and Zankou... and the premonitions you... or actually my little self, was having."  
Bianca went to his side, and took his hand again, reassuringly: "Honey, Piper is right... You need to take it easy. They're grown-ups and know how to defend themselves. You know... You cannot be saving the world over and over again!" Chris sighed, and lowered his eyes.  
"The Sorix are dead, the temple in ruins... The prophecy, forgotten. Zankou, vanquished. And the rest of the Underworld, funnily enough, seems to be oblivious of us! So just relax, young man..." Piper's voice sounded strong and determined, but she caressed her son's cheek lovingly. She just didn't want him to be again the neurotic whitelighter they had had in the past. She wanted to see him enjoy life as any young man would have done in his place! But after Zankou's attacks and the order of Sorix problem, he had turned a bit jumpy again.  
"By the way..." she frowned, noticing for the first time their appearance, "weren't you in Hawaii?" Chris and Bianca looked at each other embarrased. Who should speak?  
Piper smiled with a mocking grimace on her face, as she contemplated the sight. Chris was wearing a couple of shorts and trainers... nice, up to that point. But then, instead of the typical flowery shirt, which would have also been funny to see, he was wearing a long multicoloured t-shirt with the drawing of Aladdin on it. And to top it all, never better said, his head was covered by a funny hat which ended in a couple of huge Mickey Mouse's ears. Chris realised that he had forgotten to take it away, and he did at that very moment, blushing. Bianca also chuckled. She had another pair of ears, but hers were Pluto's. And her t-shirt was pink, with a huge drawing of Jazmine, Aladdin's fiancé.  
"Mom, this has an explanation..." Chris started, as Piper paced around them, holding back a laugh.  
The backs of the shirts read: _"We're just married."_ Then, Chris's shirt added: "_I am Jazmine-Bianca's husband."_ And Bianca's: _"I am Aladdin-Chris's wife."_ With a big _"FOREVER"_ and _"EVER AFTER"_ below.  
"Wow...!" Piper finished her pacing and looked in her son's eyes, amused, "that's romantic, man! I always knew that Leo should have taken me to Disney World too, in our honeymoon!"  
Chris was now red as a tomato, and Bianca burst out laughing. "Chris's dream..." she shortly explained, then shrugged, "since he was a little child... his dream was going to Disney World... But he didn't want you to know since you'd laugh at him."  
Chris took his eyes away, more embarrased than ever: "Ok... Maybe we should go again..."  
"No, wait!" Piper stopped them. "Do you mean you never went to Disney World?" Chris shook his head. "Until now?"  
"I didn't have the time, mom... you know." Piper nodded, sadly. "Then I was too old, I guess."  
"Honey, you're never old for Disney World..." Bianca intervened, pressing his shoulder.  
Piper smiled: "Yeah! I remember the last time I was there, there were plenty of adult people... including grandpas and grannies, having even more fun than little kids!" Chris smiled back at her.  
"You should have told us. That was an easy dream to fulfill."  
He nodded. "Well, it was easy this way... We just orbed there from Hawaii..."  
"And now here," Bianca winked.  
"You orbed?" Piper asked, spooked, "but you could have been exposed..."  
This time Chris grinned widely and cockily: "No, if you know where to orb exactly. We did a couple of orbings around there..."  
Bianca chuckled at the remembrance: "Yeah... The haunted mansion. It was so... romantic!"  
"Really?" Piper raised her eyebrow, surprised: "Disney World... and the Haunted mansion, romantic? Maybe if you had said Mickey's and Minnie's little houses..."  
"No, actually the mansion was perfect! We orbed straight to the dance hall, where all those ghosts are dancing through the air and up and down, and crossing through the pictures on the walls... We just danced there too, and it was so cute! I guess people thought it was part of the ride, too."  
Piper smiled. They were now looking at each other the way they had during their wedding, as if no one else was there to spoil anything. They were right... Seen that way, it was romantic.  
"We should take Wyatt there, don't you think so, Bianca?" he asked.  
She noded, but suggested: "Maybe next time... Now we should go for another dance... Or maybe we should look for a comfortable place in those little houses of Mickey and Minnie?" They chuckled.  
Piper was about to say something, when she saw it. "Hey..." she whispered, "did you make friends with the actors of the ride?"  
Chris frowned staring at her: "But the ride doesn't have any actor. They're all holograms and pictures and those things..."  
"Then who's that?" she asked again, pointing at their backs.  
Chris and Bianca turned to see what was in that direction, and when they saw it, they became speechless. There was a young woman standing with a very sad face, looking at them and crying. She was dressed with a bride dress... With THE bride dress of the ride! The girl was quite... transparent so to say.  
The three people in the room were astonished. Chris's hand loosened to let go off the hat with Mickey's ears on it.  
"I need your help," she muttered.

°°°°°°°°°°

Cole was squinting against the sun. He had already hit the golfball and was now following him with the eyes.  
"Good hit," Victor remarked acknowledging.  
Cole grinned: "I know."  
"You should have told me that you are good in that..." his future-father-in-law laughed.  
"Sorry," Cole answered grinning, "But don't worry, I'm not better than you, I think."  
Now, both men laughed while they were going back to their little golf-car.  
Cole sighed when he put his bag inside: "Who would have ever thought that we would play golf together."  
"I definitely never did it!" Victor replied smiling.  
"It's really funny how things are changing sometimes... and how fast." the tall dark haired man said thoughtful.  
Victor nodded: "Yeah, that's true."  
There was a little break of silence, but a good and friendly one.  
"I'm really happy that Chris and Bianca finally got what they wanted... I'm sure they are sitting now in the loversride, with some freaky mice-ears on their heads and bill and coo like teenagers," Cole said after a while.  
Victor looked at him frowning: "Disney World? I thought they'd celebrate their honeymoon in Hawaii?"  
Cole began to laugh: "Yeah... They are in Hawaii! But Chris told me that after the first two days, which he planed to spend in the bedroom completly, he wanted to orb to Disney World. He said that was a big dream of him, or of them actually."  
Victor now laughed, too.  
After they calmed down a little, the grey haired man asked: "You're really good friends, aren't you? I mean, you're talking about everything."  
Cole nodded smiling: "He said I had been his best friend, in his time... same as you."  
Victor nodded: "He told me about that... well... I wish we would know us a little better, even if he already knows much about me..."  
Cole smiled: "You will, believe me... Look, when I met him the first time I felt like you... It was crazy in a way. He knew everything about me...it was really weird... And he trusted me from the very beginning... That time I wouldn't have trust myself, you know..." Victor nodded. "But then..." he went on, "then I got to know him better and I realised that this friendship was true... that it was real... He's someone that you can count on, that you can trust, whatever happens."  
Victor nodded again. Then, he asked smiling: "Do you think he plays golf, too?"  
Both men started to laugh again. They were jumping into the car and were about to drive closer to the hole. But then, some bluish lights appeared in front of Cole, when little Wyatt orbed right on his lap.  
"Gosh, boy, you should not scare me that way!" Cole yelled. Both men had been really scared for a moment. "What are you doing here?"  
"Unke Co... tale..." Cole sighed while Victor laughed.  
"Sometimes you really freak me, little worrior," Cole answered with an angry look. But then, he began to laugh too.  
Victor took out his mobilephone: "I think I'm gonna call Piper to tell her where her son is..."

°°°°°°°°°°

Paige was walking along the endless corridors of the magic school, with her uniform on and looking inmpatient. 'Blah blah blah...' she thought, rolling her eyes without Phoebe's notice.  
Her sister was almost running behind her, trying to keep up with her speed, and talking and talking without stop.  
"... Well, you know what I mean, Paige? I mean that this is the end of 'Ask Phoebe'! C'est finis! Au revoir, arrivedercci, antio, adiós!"  
"Phoebe, honey..." But she couldn't go on, because her sister wouldn't stop babblering.  
"No, you don't understand, huh? Because... I don't have more answers! And if Phoebe doesn't have answers... What's the aim of 'Ask Phoebe'?"  
They kept walking as she spoke. "A couple of days ago, I received a letter from a young Jewish girl, whose boyfriend, whom she loved a lot, has asked her to marry... The problem was that he's a Muslim, AND, even if they love each other, it seems their families are against!"  
Paige turned and asked eagerly: "So what?"  
"What? I answered her! I adviced her to marry him! I said 'If you're sure that you love him, marry him'."  
Paige raised her eyebrow. "So? What's the problem?" she asked, starting to walk again.  
Phoebe had recovered some air, and this time she was able to keep by her side as she talked: "The problem is that! I told them to marry. That was my only advice, Paige. That has been the only piece of advice I've been giving during the last few weeks. Nothing... creative, literary... Nothing original. I just said every single person who asked me, that he or she should marry."  
Paige rolled her eyes again: "If their questions are about marriages, you just said what they wanted to hear!"  
"No, Paige..."  
They arrived at her office. Paige took seat and got a pile of papers from the drawer, while Phoebe kept pacing in front of the desk, ignoring the tons of exams that her sister had to correct.  
"I told you... you don't understand... I mean that THAT is the only piece of advice I was able to give to EVERYONE. Yeah... look."  
Paige looked at her, tiredly.  
"Last week, a man in his fourties wrote to me, and told me that he had a problem with his best friend... Well, it seems his best friend was homosexual, you know... and now, he was in love with my reader. The thing is, my reader is NOT homosexual. But he's his best friend, and he didn't know how to tell him... Ok... Guess what."  
This time, Paige looked at her amused: "You said to him that he should marry his best friend?"  
Phoebe opened her eyes in awe: "Oh, no, Paige, puaj! How can you think that? No..."  
"So you were original... I can't see the point, Phoebe, and I DO have tons of work here..."  
"No, listen. I..." She stopped pacing to stare at her: "I told him that he should marry his girlfriend so that his friend could see that he wasn't homosexual. And I also told him to help him find a boyfriend..."  
"Oh..." Paige was speechless, and didn't really have the time to go on with that chit-chatting.  
"I don't know what's going on, Paige... I have the word 'MARRY' written in my brain, and I can't think about other solutions for these poor readers..."  
Paige chuckled. Her sister looked really down, but it was funny, man!  
"Can I give you a piece of advice, Phoebe?" she asked.  
The girl nodded with enthusiasm, so Paige just grinned and said: "MARRY him!"  
"Oh!" Phoebe frowned frustrated: "You're not being funny, girl, you're teasing me! Oh... I hate you!"  
"And I have a lot of work to do, Phoebe... And I DO love you."  
At that moment, Leo orbed inside the office: "Hey! "  
"Hey, Leo..." the two Charmed Ones said.  
He was worried about something. "Have you seen Wyatt?"  
"Isn't he here in the school?" Paige frowned. Leo shook his head.  
"And can't you sense him?" Phoebe asked.  
Leo shook his head again: "He has learnt to block me from sensing him... This is really frustrating and worrying, you know?"  
"Ok, calm down... I think I know where he is..." Phoebe smiled.  
"Where?"  
"Where he goes when he's bored… Cole or daddy."  
Leo nodded. Then, Piper's voice sounded in his head. "Leo?"

°°°°°°°°°°

Piper, Bianca and Chris had remained mute for some minutes, looking at the presence in shock. Then, Piper had approached the girl and paced around her, amazed at the sight.  
"Is this a joke, Chris?" Bianca whispered.  
The boy shook his head slowly, without taking his eyes from the girl in the bride dress.  
"I... I saw you in the ride..." the bride sobbed. "You weren't like the others... And you're not part of the mechanism, either..."  
Chris half-smiled: "Thanks, that's a compliment." This gained him a hit from Bianca on his chest.  
"I need you..."  
Suddenly the cellphone rang, and Piper turned to it: "Ok… just don't move. I'll be right back." Then she gave a 'don't-take-your-eyes-from-her' look to Chris and Bianca, and picked up the phone. She didn't talk for a long time.  
"It was grandpa. Wyatt had escaped from the magic school and orbed to them," she explained. Then she called Leo.  
Seconds later, her husband was there, with the two sisters by his side.  
"What's wrong honey?" He didn't want to ask about Wyatt, not to worry her if that wasn't the problem, but then he saw the bride, and Chris and Bianca in their weird clothes looking at the guest open-mouthed, and he just said: "Wow!"  
"A long story... And, Leo... Wyatt's with Cole and dad," explained Piper.  
Phoebe and Paige approached the girl too. "Hey..." asked Paige teasingly, "any of your readers, honey?"  
Leo turned to his wife: "Should I pick him up, or...?"  
"Yeah, I think so," she nodded, "I mean, both of them like him very much, but today the two men are working on their friendship, so..." Leo nodded and orbed away. Then, Piper turned to the woman. "Ok... you said you needed our help... well... Do you need the help of those two," she pointed at Chris and Bianca, "or is our help enough?"  
The girl seemed a little confused: "Well... I mean... I don't..."  
"That's enough," Piper interrupted her. Then she looked into Chris's eyes: "I know you won't like what I'm gonna say now... but, we will take care of the girl, and you two will go back to your honeymoon, alright?"  
"But mom!" Chris complained. Bianca didn't want to leave, either.  
"That's an order!" Piper added. "Or should Leo send you back when he returns?"  
"Yeah, your mom is right! You're married, that's something you have to celebrate," Phoebe added with a bright smile. Paige rolled her eyes again.  
Chris and Bianca sighed. "But you will call us if you need help!" the Elder-witch said.  
"Yeah, yeah..." Piper nodded. Then the couple orbed away.  
"And now, back to you again..." Piper said, looking at the girl.

°°°°°°°°°°

Cole and Victor were lying on the grass, a little aside from the hole they were playing on now, when Leo orbed to them. Wyatt was lying in the middle and was being tickled by the two men. He laughed happily.  
Leo smiled at that sight: "Are you sure that I shall take him with me?"  
The two men grinned but then nodded. "I don't think the others here like it when we're blocking their games..." Victor explained.  
"Maybe in another moment and place... but here?" Cole added.  
Leo nodded. Then he took little Wyatt on his arms. The men, still lying on the grass, were waving goodbye, while Leo and the boy orbed away.  
Cole sighed.  
"What's wrong?" Victor asked.  
"Nothing..."  
Victor smiled, noticing that dreamy look on his friend's face: "I see... you want to have your own child, with Phoebe."  
Cole laughed: "Yeah, that's true... but... not now... Look... I'm a fulltime babysitter as you could see... and in 4 or 6 month... there will two more babies waiting for uncle Cole... So, no time for my own kids at this moment." Victor laughed imagining Cole with three kids around him.  
"But..." Cole went on, "you know... I don't know what to do with her... Phoebe I mean!"  
The other frowned: "What do you mean exactly?"  
Cole sighed again: "Yesterday I bought a ring for her..."  
Victor rose, looking at him surprised: "You will ask her if she wants to marry you?"  
"Yeah..." he nodded, "but..."  
"But what?"  
"But I'm not sure if I should do that... I mean... now..." he made a little break. Then he sighed again and went on: "You know, our last try wasn't that good... and... it's been not so long since I'm back... I just don't know if she's ready for that... I don't want to put her under pressure, you know?"  
Victor nodded: "That's a difficult question..."  
At that moment, a man dressed in a uniform went closer to them.  
"Sir, I must remind you that this place is for playing golf, not for taking a rest," he said strict but friendly.  
Victor and Cole appologized, stood up, and then went on with their game.

°°°°°°°°°°

When Leo returned to the manor, the sisters were in the living-room. The girl sat on the sofa, sobbing. The others were watching her.  
"And?" Leo asked and put Wyatt in the playpen, "any other information about our guest?"  
The three sisters turned to him with a shocked look in their eyes.  
"Well..." Phoebe started. "I got that she," she pointed to the girl, "comes from a haunted mansion, and..."  
"THE Haunted Mansion, Phoebe. Don't forget it. She comes from... Disney World!" Paige remarked, still bewildered.  
Leo opened his eyes widely in surprise, and looked at Piper questioningly. But his wife didn't notice, because she was staring at the sobbing bride, sitting on the sofa, with a sad expression on her face. She finally went to her and sat down, taking her hand softly. She shivered. It was cold... very cold.  
Leo looked at his little son instinctively, worried that the girl was some kind of threat for him. But actually she didn't look like anything like that at all.  
Paige took seat on an armchair and leaning heavily on its back, sighed, resigned: "I guess, I'll have to finish all my work in another moment!"  
Leo approached the girls and staring at the guest, he asked: "So what are you exactly? A ghost?"  
She sobbed and sighed, and then took a deep breath: "Nnn... Not exactly..."  
Piper caressed her hair, trying to comfort her, and smiled, looking at Leo: "She said she's a bride. Her bride groom disappeared on the ceremony right in front of her, before she ended up at that ride herself."  
Leo raised an eyebrow: "I think I'm lost... Do you mean... she was abandoned and ran away just to end up in that ride, with those clothes?" He couldn't believe it... If that was the way he thought, she didn't need the Charmed Ones, but a mental institution!  
Phoebe looked at Paige out of the corner of her eyes and whispered: "I'm just wondering if the next guest will come from the ride ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' or something."  
Paige grinned naughtingly: "If that means that we'll have Johnny Depp or Orlando Bloom here...good!"  
"Yeah..." she sighed, "as long as they don't come from the Alien thingy... That's freaky!"  
This short conversation gained them an angry look from Piper, who was trying to explain Leo everything, since the girl was too distressed to repeat it all over again.  
"No, Leo... That's the thing. She didn't run away, nor did the bridegroom. She just found herself alone in front of the altar, and when she realised, she had become part of the ride. The last thing she remembers is that she was gonna get married. Then, she was a... well, this..." she showed the palms of her hands in a gesture of lack of words.  
"A hologram. I'm a hologram... At least that's what everyone said."  
"What?" Leo didn't know what to say. "Is this a joke?"  
"No, man.. this isn't a joke, and this girl is really freaked out, ok?" Piper answered angrily, pressing the girl's hands between hers.  
"But you can touch her. If she were a hologram she'd only be an image..."  
The girl nodded, and a little more calmed, she started to talk again: "Yes, I was a hologram. An image, I mean... I've been imprisoned in that ride for a while, I don't know how long exactly. But then, this couple that left a moment ago appeared... At first I thought they had had the same problem, I don't know... some kind of curse, perhaps. But no, they seemed so happy! I just wondered what they were... But I couldn't do anything, I couldn't talk to them, attract their attention..."  
Leo and Piper nodded as she went on. "Then, they were dancing and having fun... and I guessed they didn't even realise, but the girl was covered by a light, a golden light, that touched me and... gave me this body. I mean, it gave me 'tact', consistence. I didn't know what it was, nor why I was again something similar to a person, but I didn't stop to think. They were starting to disappear, when I was trying to touch them, and moments later I was here... I hid until I decided to show up... and the rest, you already know."  
Piper nodded, and asked: "And I suppose that you want our help to discover why you got there, how, where is your family, your fiancé...?"  
The girl nodded too, a bit nervously: "I'm just afraid that I may turn a hologram again... That's why I wanted you to know as soon as possible."  
"Stop, stop," Leo said frowning, "a golden light? What kind of light?"  
The girl shrugged: "I don't know. It was just all around her." Leo frowned a little more.  
"Honey, what are you thinking about?" Piper asked  
Leo sighed: "The only magical golden light I know is the one that we use to heal..."  
"But Bianca can't heal," Phoebe remarked...  
"But she's pregnant," Piper explained, then turned to Leo, "that's what you meant, right? Leo nodded.  
"Ok," Paige went on, "But we already know that Hope can heal... or at least heal her mother.  
Leo nodded again: "But... that was more than just healing her mother..."  
Piper put her hand on his arm and looked at him with a smile: "Don't worry honey..."  
"I don't worry," Leo replied, "I'm just wondering what that child will be able to do, as a child of a witch, an Elder AND a Phoenix."  
"I don't want to disturb your discussions," the girl suddenly said. When the others turned back to her, she went on: "Well... you are witches? And what is an Elder?"  
Paige smiled: "Ok, guys... your turn... I'll go to Darryl, maybe she's officially missing..." the others nodded. Then Paige turned to the girl again: "By the way, what's your name?"  
"Jessica, Jessica Daniels," she whispered. Paige nodded and orbed away.

°°°°°°°°°°

Chris and Bianca left the Haunted Mansion. They crossed the way and went to a little snack bar.  
"Two Cokes!" Chris ordered. Then, he turned around to look Bianca in her eyes. "I love you Mrs. Halliwell!" he added.  
She smiled: "I love you too, Mr. Halliwell!" Both were chuckling a little.  
Then, they got their drinks and sat down. They sat there and drunk in complete silence.  
"What's bothering you?" Bianca asked after a while.  
Chris smiled: "Nothing."  
"How many times need I tell you that you're a real bad liar."  
He laughed: "Yeah, I know..." Then, there was silence again.  
"It's that girl, right?" Bianca asked then. Chris nodded. She sighed: "Ok... So I think you need something to cool down..."  
Chris looked at her frowning. But she didn't care about that. She stood up, took his hand and dragged him forward. They went to another ride... a Water Ride. And a few minutes later they sat inside one of this wodden boats, driving down a little hill and getting completly wet!

°°°°°°°°°°

Paige was pacing around in Darryl's office. After she had told him what was going on at the manor, he had left her to search for some information. Meanwhile, she should wait.  
Suddenly, a young man entered the office making Paige feel a little scared in surprise for a moment.  
"Oh, sorry, I didn't know that there was someone here," he apologized.  
Paige looked at him without uttering a single word. He had short dark hair, deep blue eyes and a wonderful shy smile.  
Paige then smiled, too. "Never mind," she finally said.  
Then he took a folder from Darryl's desk: "Ehmm... could you tell Darryl that I have to bring this file to detective Mason?"  
"Sure," she answered, "but who are you?"  
"Oh, eh..." he blushed and smiled, "I'm Kyle Turner, I...  
"TURNER!" they heard an angry voice from outside. The man just smiled and left the office.  
Paige looked at him as he walked out. "Very cute," she whispered to herself.  
Then Darryl returned "What was the name?" he asked after he had closed the door.  
"Jessica Daniels," Paige repeated.  
Darryl sat down with a folder in his hand. "That's crazy," he muttered.  
"What?" asked the witch, picking up the folder. She looked at the photo. 'That is the girl,' she thought. She smiled.  
"Look at her brithday," he remarked.  
Paige did so. "Oh my God!" she exclimed. What she read there was September 12th, 1966.  
Darryl nodded: "And bride and groom are missing since 1985!"

_

* * *

(Chapter 1 written by Belén and Chrissy.W.x) _


	2. Chapter 2

**A Charmed Story - Part Five:  
20 weddings and a funeral?  
Chapter 2**

Victor and Cole had spent the whole morning playing, and now they were on their way to the home of the latter one, who had invited his new friend to have a coffee there. Because of the events around Chris's marriage, they had become really good friends, but due to the fact that Victor had his permanent residence in Los Angeles, they wouldn't have many occasions to meet.  
However, Victor had insisted on him going and paying him a visit as soon as possible, until finally, Leo himself had decided to orb him to LA. And that was the day they were spending together, talking and laughing and getting to know each other better, with some short interruptions from little Wyatt.  
Victor was sweating. Golf wasn't a sport of action, but the day had been hot. He tried to excuse himself: "I'm old now, Cole... I'm starting to feel that."  
Cole smirked at him, and then laughed: "You're old? Come on... You are not half the old as I am! And..." Tiredly he added: "I also feel it."  
Victor cast a glimpse at him but then kept his sight on the road: "Are you kidding?"  
"No, I'm not... I'm... some centuries old, two, perhaps."  
Victor blushed: "Oh..." Yeah, he had forgotten his past as a demon: "Yes, but that's cheating. That doesn't count!" He smiled.  
Cole grinned back at him: "I wish it wouldn't. You know... Chris has tons of memories of the different futures he had to live, and all... I have an endless past, memories of multiple deaths and murders, and sad stories at my back..."  
Victor secretly freaked out at hearing that, but he realised the man was opening his heart, so he tried to pretend that he was fine, and went on listening.  
"Chris tells me everything... about him, his future and all. But I never told him my own stories. Because I'm the uncle, he's the one who needs talking. That wouldn't have helped him..."  
Victor frowned: "But all those things are past, they don't matter anymore." He felt something weird... Cole was saying that he had to play the paternal role with Chris... and right now, it was him, Victor, that was playing that paternal role with Cole! He had just realised what was going on. Cole was alone. He had been alone for a long time. He had Chris, Leo, the sisters... But not his father. He never really had a father. Or he had even forgotten him... And perhaps, only perhaps, now he was talking to Victor the way he'd have talked to his father.  
Cole sighed: "Yeah... They don't. They don't matter for them, for Phoebe... But they're there. That's why, I guess, I understand Chris so well. We've got some... memories, which belong only to us and make us startle at night covered with sweat. Those memories are ours... and only ours, we want it or not."  
Victor nodded. "I understand..." he said gravely. But he didn't. It was unconceivable. Memories from the future, for Chris... Memories from two centuries ago for Cole. That was crazy! He didn't notice Cole's look fixed on him.  
"I'm sorry... I didn't want to press you or make you feel bad, it's only that..."  
Victor smiled: "Hey, you can talk to me, son... whenever you like. I'm gonna be your father, some day..." They were arriving. Victor started to park the car. "Well..." he added then, looking Cole in the eyes, "as long as you... make a decision." And then he winked, as he opened the door.  
Cole smiled. Then he did the same, and both men crossed the entrance to Victor's house.

°°°°°°°°°°

The girl had listened to Piper with a mixture of fear and excitement. After Leo was gone to talk to the other Elders, the witch had explained everything to her, while Phoebe had prepared a tea.  
"And I thought my life was strange," she muttered after Piper had finished.  
"So... here is something to drink for you," Phoebe said while entering the room with a cup of hot tea, "it'll calm you down a little."  
"Thanks," the girl said with a sad smile. She was sort of glad, that she had found some magical people who really seemed to want to help her. Again a few tears found their way down her cheeks. Phoebe gave her a hanky.  
"Are there more like you?" Piper asked after she had wiped her tears away and drunk a little.  
"I'm not sure... there are more holograms, a few of them are like me, but not all, I think."  
Phoebe nodded: "And your groom?"  
"He's there, too," she answered, "but I saw him only a few times, very shortly"  
At that moment Paige returned. She orbed next to the sisters and then looked at the girl bewildered. The witch had seen a lot in her life... but this was something new.  
"What's wrong?" Piper asked as she noticed her look.  
Paige sighed: "There's in fact a girl missing named Jassica Daniels, but..."  
"But what?" the sister asked.  
"She was born in 1966, and has been missed since 1985."  
"What?" Phoebe and Piper exclaimed at the same time.  
"That's true," the girl said, "my brithday is September 12th... so..."  
She looked into the freaked eyes of her hosts. Then, she looked around noticing that everything seemed to be a little strange. Slowly she turned to the sisters again: "Wait... What date is it?"

°°°°°°°°°°

Leo had orbed to the Elder council. He had explained them what had happend down in the manor.  
"And how exactly did this hologram become half-human again?" Jeremiah asked. He was one of those Elders who were not very happy, that Chris was one of them.  
Leo hesitated for a moment. "I don't know how that was possible," he answered then.  
The Elder who had asked, nodded. But Odin frowned.  
"Have you ever heard of something like that before?" Leo asked again.  
The others shook their heads or simply said nothing. Leo sighed.  
"There was something," then, one of them suddenly said. A man with grey hair but a face like a child, named Rolger. The others turned to him and he explained: "about 20 years ago, there was a time when a lot of couples disappeared right before their marriage. We could never find out what happened to them." Some of the others nodded.  
"Twenty years?" Leo asked. Rolger nodded.  
Leo raised his eyebrows: "Alright, thanks for your help... I think I should tell that to the charmed ones. Thanks."  
He nodded and gestured to say goodbye, and then he orbed away.

°°°°°°°°°°

When Leo rematerialised he wasn't at the manor. He was standing on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. 'What the hell...' he tought and turned around surprised.  
Suddenly there were again bluish orbing lights when Odin appeared.  
"Odin, why did you bring me...?"  
But the Elder interrupted him: "Who has done it, Leo?"  
"What?"  
"You know what I mean... Was it your son?"  
Leo shrugged, feeling uncomfortable: "I really don't see your point, Odin. Who cares how she became that ghost-like human... She's there."  
"I care... 'Cause doing something like what you have described needs a lot of power... maybe more than we have." He made a little break, observing every expression in Leo's face.  
Leo sighed: "If you think that Wyatt is..."  
But Odin interrupted him: "Nobody is talking about Wyatt... I mean your other son! He's an Elder with all his powers... AND he's a witch; he's still a witch... So, if he had done this he..."  
"NO!" Leo exclaimed loud to stop him. Then he went on with a much calmer voice: "He didn't do that." He couldn't let the Elders begin to distrust his son. At least, he was one of them. And anyway, that wasn't a lie. It hadn't been Chris.  
Odin sighed: "And who did it, Leo?"  
Leo held his look even though he wanted to lower his eyes. Odin's expression was grave, and worried at the same time. All of a sudden, and before Leo managed to answer his question, another jingling sound followed by a voice sounded behind him.  
"It's ok Leo... He knows. I told him everything."  
Leo turned surprised at the intruder, and found himself facing Silas, another Elder... This made Leo's heart jump out of fear and distress. "What... what do you mean?" he asked.  
"Don't blame him, he had to tell me..." Odin intervened, making Leo look at him, "maybe you both were able to cloak Gideon's death under your lies... But I'm not a fool. I always knew there was something wrong in your story..."  
Leo turned paler and stared at Silas. He had prayed all that time since the moment it had happened that Silas was able to keep his secret. He was the other Elder that had accompanied Gideon when he tried to kill Wyatt. He was the Elder, the only Elder, that saw how Chris stabbed Gideon unmercifully... But he had said his secret was safe with him.  
Silas lowered his eyes: "He asked me..."  
"When did you get to know that..."  
Odin smiled: "Since that very same day..." he answered.  
"So... that's why you were first against him when he wanted to take care of magic school, and also why you despise him so much. Always saying he's so young and all, and opposing his wedding with Bianca..." Leo knew that Odin had finally supported them, but all this was the only thing he could keep in mind at that moment.  
"Leo... I kept the secret as well as Silas. I only needed to know, because I couldn't believe that a demon had killed Gideon... Let alone Barbas. A demon wouldn't have proceeded like that, and Chris himself, all his story, getting stuck in the past... he was behaving in a very weird way after that event. Leo... You have to understand... Gideon did wrong as an Elder, trying to kill an innocent child. But you, better than anyone, know that an Elder shouldn't kill at all... Our powers aren't for that. Chris is an Elder by accident, and he has killed another Elder."  
Leo clenched his fists, angrily: "He killed the murderer of my son... He had to go through a lot and he deserves a little bit of respect! He never did a wrong thing, anymore. You know that..."  
Silas was listening to them in silence, ashamed of having betrayed the trust Leo had put on him.  
"And that's why I didn't let out your secret, Leo," Odin answered, gravely. "I have even learnt to love that boy... But understand this; I had to keep an eye on him, all the time. Because he's got too much power; and he has killed. He can do that again."  
"He won't," Leo said in a rough tone, "and this is not about having killed anyone, if I'm right. This is about having brought someone into life, somehow. So there's no point in all this."  
Odin sighed: "This is not about killing or not, Leo... This is about power, and you know it. Gideon did wrong things, but he was right in something: Too much power in one's hands is dangerous... What has happened now is out of our reach. If Chris discovers all that power and uses it for wrong..."  
Leo interrupted him again: "He won't. And as I said before, he didn't do this." He fixed his look on Odin's, and then he orbed away, not before glaring at Silas and saying: "Thanks... friend."

°°°°°°°°°°

Chris was shivering, soaked from head to feet. Bianca couldn't stop laughing at his sight, and gave him her jacket. She was wet too, but far from looking like Chris.  
"This is not funny, Bianca..."  
She laughed even louder: "Chris, honey... I told you that you wouldn't get so wet in the boat..."  
"Yeah... And you were right! But you could have warned me that on THAT bridge," and hepointed to the wooden bridge in front of the boats' ride, "I would get soaked as a fish!"  
Bianca laughed but hugged him. He was so cute when he was angry about that kind of things!  
"Come on sweety... Let's go to some terrace and have a coffe, the sun will help to dry this... It's hot, man!"  
Chris smiled with sarcasm: "Ok... as the princess orders. But then we should go to that show about the alien... It must be really spooky, with that alien inside..."  
"Oh..." Bianca frowned. "You mean the extraterrestrial stuff? That show in which you're supposed to be in a starship, and suddenly the alien gets free?"  
"Yeah, I guess that's it. It sounds cool!"  
Bianca nodded, but was pensive: "Chris... that alien is a hologram, did you know that?"  
Chris looked her in the eyes, not knowing what to think. Then he shook his head: "Do you think that could happen again?"  
"I don't know," she muttered.  
Chris frowned: "Do you think that we did something? That we're responsible for that?"  
Bianca didn't know what to answer. It was just a feeling she had, when he talked about those Alien-Adventure. She was afraid about what could happen if some of them came to life. So she nodded weakly.  
Chris sighed and hugged her. He knew that her emotions had been kind of unstable in the last weeks. Everyone told him that it was because of her pregnancy, but he feared that there was more.  
"But how should we?" he asked then.  
She sobbed a little. "I don't know," she whipsiered, "but..."  
"But what?" Chris asked, looking her in her eyes. They seemed to be sadder then ever before. "What's wrong, sweetie?" Chris asked again, now really worried.  
Bianca turned around; she wasn't able to stand his look. She didn't want him to worry.  
"Oh God, sweetie..." Chris was desperate; he had never seen her like that before, "please... tell me what's bothering you? Please... I love you so much, I can't see you suffer that way..."  
Bianca felt terrible. She didn't want to hurt him. But she also knew that this couldn't go on that way. She loved him so much, she thought that when they were married she could get over this... But she couldn't. It still crossed her mind form time to time, like in this moment, too.  
Slowly she turned around again, with tears in her eyes. Chris looked at her questioning.  
"I love you honey, but... I'm also afraid," she whispered.  
"Afraid? Of what?" he asked.  
"Of you..." she answered.  
Chris was shocked. Within a second his great new world was broken into pieces. "What?" he asked, hoping he was dreaming.  
"Honey, I'm so sorry," she whispered aproaching him.  
Chris sat down completly lost and still shivering because of his wet clothes. He was shaking his head: "I don't understand that... Why?"  
Bianca sat down next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder: "I can't explain it... I know you're good... but..." She made a break, seeking for the right words. "You have so much power now... I'm afraid that you could lose yourself one day... That you could become like..."  
She didn't have to end this sentence. Chris knew what she was thinking about. He swallowed. He hadn't noticed that all this could be a problem for her. He never wanted to have those Elder-powers. And... he knew how dangerous they could be. He would never forget that moment in which he had been on the way to kill his brother. That second was burned into his mind, and it would always and forever remind him of the danger. Chris knew that he hadn't discovered his new poweres completeley by now... But he was sure he would never end up like Wyatt did in his timeline... He had seen the results of all that... He knew where that way led to... And he would never go down that road, never!  
He sighed again: "Bianca I swear to you, by my life: I will never be like him, never!" She smiled a little. "And do you know why?" he asked. She shook her head. "Because of you," he explained, "because you love me so much, as much as I love you. And because of our little girl, which should have a wonderful life and a good daddy..."  
Bianca smiled, but still crying, because of positive emotions now. "She has him" she whispered. She believed him, she believed in him, she always did. Maybe she just needed him to remind her of that.  
Chris swallowed again. He wasn't able to see her cry, so a few tears ran over his face, too. He hugged her, and then kissed her.  
"Don't do that again," he whipspered then, "next time you talk to me, alright...? About whatever." Bianca nodded.

°°°°°°°°°°

Jessica was staring into the nothingness. '2004... February 21th... 19 years!' she thought, but she couldn't believe it.  
Phoebe felt her confusion. She sat down next to the girl and hugged her.  
"We'll find out what happend, and where your husband is now," Paige said.  
At that moment Leo returned.  
"Hey, why did it take so long?" Piper asked.  
But Leo didn't answer. "The Elders said that about twenty years ago a lot of innocents dissappered, all couples on their way to get married... The Elders have never been able to find out why, or who was responsible for that. So it's seems this is starting again, and..."  
"Not really," Paige interrupted him.  
"What?" the Elder asked confused. But actually he was more confused about his discussion with Odin, than about Paige's words.  
"Darryl found her file, she's been missing since 1985," the witch explained shortly.  
The girl began to cry again.  
"Oh, come on, sweety..." Phoebe said, stroking the girl's hair, "we're gonna help you, and you're safe here... Just try to calm down."  
Piper and Paige turned to Leo and frowned. "Hey! Are you alright, man? You seem worried."  
Leo shook his head as if he could shake his thoughts away with that movement: "I'm fine. Don't worry. It's just that this is really weird... I don't know if a demon did this, or if it was another creature, or what... And then, I'm worried about the way she described her... change." Then he added, only to be heard by the two sisters: "The Elders themselves cannot do this, WE cannot do this."  
Piper stared at him, and perceived his distress. After all, he was her husband. "I think I'm going to check up the book of Shadows, maybe there's something on it."  
Leo and the sisters nodded: "Ok..."  
Phoebe decided to go with Piper, so that she could get rid of Jessica's feelings, which were killing her. At this point, it was Paige that took Phoebe's place by the bride, as Leo stood in front of them, thoughtful.  
"Well, this might take us some time, you know? So I was thinking that... perhaps, you'd like to change your clothes. What about trying some of my shirts on?" she winked.  
The girl smiled weakly, and shrugged: "I suppose I can not go around with this dress."  
"Then, give me your hand. You're gonna orb now for the first time in your life... Oooops, second, I guess you did before, with Chris and Bianca..."  
Leo smiled, too. "I... I think I'll stay with Wyatt, and wait for some information to come..." he said at the same time the two girls disappeared in the middle of their bluish orbs. Then he sighed and looked at the boy, who was quietly observing the scene from the playpen.  
"Hey, buddy... Come here," he took him on his arms, and sat down on the sofa, "with daddy... Do you like the girl, huh?" He grinned at the sound of his son's giggling. "Hey... everything's ok, isn't it Wyatt...? You would know, your adult self... He hasn't come back, so... Chris is fine in the future, isn't he?"  
Wyatt chuckled and babbled some incoherent words. "Chlis..." he said. He was learning to pronounce the name better, even though the 'r' in the middle was quite difficult for him.  
"Yeah..." Leo laughed, "Chris..." He wished that he could talk to adult Wyatt and know things about the future... But he knew that was completely out of place.  
So they would try to find a way in the present, and first of all, they had to help Jessica, and find the other couples, whose cases were probably related to hers.

°°°°°°°°°°

"Holograms, holograms..." Piper was flicking through the pages of the book, but there was nothing like that.  
Ok... The book was old. She understood that in the Middle Ages, even in the 19th century, there was nothing like holograms. So the book wouldn't have anything related. Not even Grams would have written about that. But just in case...  
"I think this is a signal," said Phoebe.  
"Huh?" Piper murmured, still focusing on the book.  
"All this, Piper... First, Chris and Bianca's marriage, then my column, invaded by husband-and-wife-to-be readers, and my own obsession with the word 'MARRY'. There's 'marriage written everywhere, I hear that word wherever I go, like... like an inside voice, Piper!"  
Her sister looked at her as if she had gone nuts: "Phoebe... Focus, please."  
"No, Piper... My powers have taught me not to ignore anything, understand? My inside voices... they must have some meaning! And well, I think it's quite clear now that we have to solve a case about lost couples about to marry, and all... What I said, marriage, marriage... everywhere!"  
"Phoebe, honey... Your obsession has nothing to do with your powers. You hear that word because you want to! And I get it... I understand..." she smiled: "I'm not an empath, but I'm your sister..."  
Phoebe frowned: "No, it's not what you..."  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah... well, if it's not, ok, forget it and focus. And if it is... you can talk to me, sweetheart. But later. Now, Jessica needs our help!"

°°°°°°°°°°

"So..." Jessica was talking quietly as she looked at herself on the mirror, "the boy that was with that girl, those of the golden light... is an Elder too... But he's sooo young!"  
She frowned, and Paige had to chuckle.  
"Yeah, well, that's like a sort of title."  
Jessica turned around, staring at her on the mirror, and nodded slowly: "And she, a Phoenix... You girls said that she was a different kind of witch..."  
Paige nodded: "You're really beautiful in that shirt."  
Jessica grinned, her eyes were still red but she was starting to feel better.  
"Thanks..." then she frowned, "but they both... They looked like... a couple of just married."  
Paige nodded, smiling: "Yes, they are."  
Then, the girl looked in her eyes: "I miss him..."

°°°°°°°°°°

"Nothing!" Piper closed the book with a loud noise. Phoebe sighed. For a moment her older sister stood in front of her frowning. "Alright," she said then, grasped Phoebe's arm and pulled her down the stairs. She knocked on Paige's door.  
"Come in," her sister called from inside.  
They entered and Paige asked: "Did you find something?"  
Piper shook her head: "It seems we have to do it in the old way. Paige, please orb to Darryl again and ask him for all the files from all the missed couples... And then we're going to play detectives on our own..."  
Paige nodded and orbed away.  
Then the sisters looked at Jessica. She was standing in front of the mirror. Her skin had become a little more visible minute by minute. Now, dressed with a shirt and jeans from Paige, she was looking like a normal human.  
Suddenly there was something else in this room. Something like a shadow.  
"What's that?" Phoebe asked.  
Jessica started to panic, when that thing was flying around her.  
"Ok, girl, come over here," Piper exclaimed.  
Jessica ran over to her and the witch embraced her. Then the shadow was away.  
"What was that?" Phoebe asked again.  
Piper frowned: "I don't know."

_

* * *

(Chapter 2 written by Belén and Chrissy.W.x)_


	3. Chapter 3

**A Charmed Story - Part Five:  
20 Weddings AndA Funeral?  
Chapter 3**

Bianca and Chris were still sitting next to the water-ride in the shadow of a big tree, hugging each other and both sobbing a little. It was a weird scene. But even if it didn't seem so, they were very glad at this moment. Deep down inside, they were glad... glad about what had just been said. Everything that had stood between them was away. The only thing that was left was love, deep and endless love. And that was good.  
Chris shivered again.  
"Oh my God, honey," Bianca exclaimed with a worried voice, "you're really freezing! We have to go under the sun... I don't want you to get a cold." Chris smiled weakly.  
She stood up, took his hand and pulled him up on his feet. Then they walked together to a little cafe in the sun.  
Chris sat down outside while Bianca went in to buy something. He followed her a moment with his eyes; then he looked over that little square. He was still a bit shocked that his wife, his love, had been afraid of him. He hoped that she would be over this now, but he wasn't sure... Anyway, he hoped she would be soon. He sighed. Then he shivered again a little, even if he felt the warm sun on his skin. Then he thought about that girl again. He couldn't believe that he had brought her back from wherever. 'But... who else could...?' he thought.  
At that moment Bianca returned with a big cup of hot chocolate. He smiled.  
"Now, drink this. It'll make you feel better," she said with a wink.  
Chris took a big gulp and then coughed a little. "What is that?" he asked then.  
Bianca smiled: "Hot chocolate laced with a little bit of rum... it will warm you."  
Chris grinned and took another gulp.

°°°°°°°°°°

Darryl sat on the edge of the table. He looked into the eyes of Jessica without believing. Then he shook his head.  
When Paige visited him the second time, asking for the other files, Darryl had said he would help them, if he was part of the action, this time. This was a criminal case, not a magical one... well it seemed so... So it was his case. Paige had nodded and had taken him to the manor. And now he was sitting there observing that girl.  
"I think we should go and visit every relative and friend mentioned in these folders," Piper went on, "we have to ask them what had happened exactly in those celebrations when bride and groom disappeared... if there was something unnatural."  
Paige nodded: "Yeah... maybe someone had noticed something."  
"Maybe we should split up in teams, there are a lot of people to visit," Phoebe suggested. Piper nodded.  
"Hey, two are from L.A.," Leo mentioned, "So maybe we should ask your father and Cole if they would like to help us..."  
"NO!" Piper and Phoebe exclaimed at the same time.  
"It's their first 'friends-day', I think we can handle this on our own. They need that little break," Phoebe went on.  
Leo nodded: "Ok, so we have me and Phoebe... and Piper, you go with Darryl, alright?" The other nodded.  
"And me?" Paige asked.  
"You stay here with Jessica, if something happens you can orb with her to us, or to the school, if necessary," Piper explained.  
Paige sighed: "Yeah... but there is also a door to the school! And you can't orb, nor Darryl... You will lose a lot of time driving from one place to another. And there is still Wyatt who needs his lunch!"  
Piper frowned: "Ok, you're right, then I'll stay and you orb with Darryl." Paige nodded.

°°°°°°°°°°

Ten minutes later, Leo and Phoebe were standing in front of a small yellow-painted house a little outside San Francisco. The witch knocked on the door. It took a little moment...  
Then it opened slowly, and a shaggy woman in her thirties appeared staring at the strangers suspiciously behind the semi-opened door.  
"What do you want?" she asked abruptly.  
Phoebe said nothing and looked at Leo, who tried his best smile and kinder tone: "Good morning Miss... we're..." He coughed: "We were wondering if..."  
The woman rolled her eyes and made an attempt of closing the door, so Phoebe stood between it and Leo immediately and stopped the action, pushing the door with her hand. "Actually we wanted to know if we you'd mind to talk to us about... Joanna Domíngues."  
Suddenly the woman raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Are you the police?" she asked. "Did you get something? Did you find them?"  
Leo lowered his eyes as Phoebe tried to find the appropriate word, but finally it was the man that spoke. "No... actually, we thought you or someone in this house, might help us."  
The girl frowned, angrily: "More tabloid journalist! I'm fed up... We're fed up with those stupid mags that talk about paranormal phenomena and things like that, which claim that my sister was abducted together with her husband-to-be and I-don't-know-how-many other couples! Go!" She tried to close the door again, but Leo held it opened this time.  
"We want to help you. We're not journalist, just... let us in, and you'll understand." The woman sighed. Then she looked in their eyes, wondering if she should trust them... And finally she let them in.  
Leo and Phoebe took seat, looking around in search for some clues or pictures of the couple, Joanna and Riley.  
"Do you want anything? Coffee, tea?" asked the girl. She seemed to be on her own in the house at that moment. The lounge was beautiful, but it was in a terrible mess, with books, magazines and papers everywhere... Even dust below the shelves and on them.  
Leo and Phoebe shook their heads.  
"We don't have much time, actually... We only want to ask some questions Miss... Domíngues?"  
The woman nodded: "María. María Domíngues. So, what questions?"  
"So, Joanna is your sister...?" the witch asked.  
The woman nodded again, looking at them a little impatient.  
Phoebe sighed. "Well... We've heard that your sister... and all those couples that disappeared that year, well... that they just disappeared, like that...?" she tried.  
"Aha... They were in front of the altar and then they weren't, that's all. Period."  
Leo frowned: "Yeah, but... could you give us some details? Like... They just faded away? They flamed? Were there any kind of lights?"  
María laughed abruptly: "No lights, I assure you. The church wasn't very illuminated actually. They just were there, and in a second, they had vanished. But who would believe that?" María seemed to be a bit too much frustrated by the visit. "You can read all the magazines and newspapers and all... They'll tell you what you need."  
"And no one was surprised? I mean, if that was all in the news..." tried Phoebe.  
María shook her head again: "We didn't give those details to the police, you know? They would have thought we were just joking... Actually some in the family thought it would be better to go to those magazines about these type of phenomena... But it was a loss of time. They used the story to give fun to their readers but they never knew how to help."  
Phoebe felt moved and smiled at her understandably. She felt how María was feeling, all her sadness and frustration.  
Then she saw a photograph of a girl who was really similar to María. She got to he feet and went to the picture: "Is this Joanna?" She took it and at the very same moment she did, she saw it. She was having a premonition.  
María ran to her, worried, when the woman suddenly winced, but Leo held her back.  
"What was that?" she asked as she saw that Phoebe was back to normal again.  
"Nothing..." the witch murmured, "dizziness... "  
But Leo knew what had happened. "Ok... María, I think we need to go back. She'll need a rest."  
María frowned. "Hey, you didn't say who you were..." she asked suspiciously.  
Leo smiled: "You're right. My name's Leo, and she's Phoebe, my sister-in-law."  
"And why did you come then? WHO are you, I mean, WHAT are you?" the girl insisted.  
Phoebe looked at Leo, then at the girl. "I'm a witch..." she explained, before the scared look of Leo. "I mean... I'm a clairvoyant."  
María opened her mouth: "Did you just try to trick me out?"  
"No! I..." Phoebe said. "Actually we're reliable... Look, we sad we weren't the police, but we work for them... Just ask about us to this inspector." She stretched her hand to give the card of Darryl to her. "He got some new clues about the case, called me and I saw... something. Now I'm trying to help."  
"Are you kiddin'?" María asked. "I never believed the police had their own clairvoyants."  
Phoebe grinned: "Oh, girl... They do. You can believe me... Almost every station has its own clairvoyant..." Then she went to the door, followed by a shocked Leo, and by María's unbelieving eyes. "We'll let you know as soon as we get something, María.. We'll find her and her husband and everyone that was lost. I promise."  
After they had left the house Phoebe and Leo walked down the street till they were out of sight. Then Leo stopped her. "What have you seen?" he asked.  
Phoebe shrugged: "I'm not sure... It... it was weird."  
"That's it always, I thought..."  
Phoebe grinned but then she turned serious again: "No... I've seen a carousel... with monsters and so on... And the couple... they were there, too... and a clown..."  
"A clown?" Leo asked frowning.  
"Yeah... with red hair, a big red nose, blue painted eyes and a big red smile. But in a weird way he looked everything else but funny... he looked... evil."  
"That's really weird..." Leo remarked.  
Phoebe nodded and sighed: "Who is the next one on the list?"

°°°°°°°°°°

Cole and Victor sat in his kitchen eating steaks. "Hmmm... That's really good," Cole remarked.  
Victor laughed: "I know... my steaks are the best ones in the whole L.A.-area!"  
Cole smiled: "Yeah man, definitely!"  
They took their time for the lunch. They sat there over an hour just eating with passion.  
After that they went over to the living room, and Victor offered his new friend a cold beer. Cole took it and they sat down on the sofa.  
"Well... I thought about you and Phoebe," Victor said after a while, "maybe I should ask her?"  
Cole smiled: "No, I think, I should ask her on my own if she'll marry me..."  
"No, you get me wrong... I mean, I could ask her, what she thinks about you. About your relation... You know what I mean?"  
Cole laughed. That was a really funny situation. 'But hey... the idea isn't that bad,' he thought. So he nodded: "Yes, why not?"  
"Alright," Victor replied.  
"But take care that she don't find that out... I mean with her empath powers... otherwise she would kill us both..." Cole remarked chuckling.  
Victor frowned and then he laughed: "I'll just talk to her on the phone!"  
Both man began to laugh to tears. And it seems they would never stop this...  
After they calmed down a little, Victor sighed: "I never dreamed that I would sit here with you and have so much fun!"  
Cole nodded: "Yeah, me too."  
"Did you ever wished to turn back the time... to change what you've done?" Victor asked then.  
Cole sighed and looked at the bottle in his hand. He turned it around, obersving the liquid inside. "At first," he said then. "I mean, when I met Chris the first time. He and Leo were down in the ghostly plane were I was condemned to live till the end of all time. I saw the love between them, even... as I now know, Leo knew that he was his son for about a couple of minutes. But there was this connection between father and child, you know..."  
Victor nodded. He knew very well what his friend was talking about.  
"And when I saw them, I thought about Phoebe, and about the chances I had thrown away, with all the mess I had done. That moment I wished I had been able to change that, and to have a child like him on my own."  
"Yeah... I think I understand..."  
Cole smiled: "No, I don't think so... Cause... You know... it was only a second, that I wished that... ok... maybe two." They chuckled.  
"But then... I mean... Chris was wounded very bad when he was down there. He was there, because he knew that I was there too. He knew that I would be able to bring him back. He saved me that day... he saved my soul... But..."  
Victor frowned: "But what?"  
Cole sighed: "He did it only because I saved him. He came to that plane, to me, because he was sure that I would save him, that I would bring him back... I don't believe in fate or destiny... It's just... it had to be like that, you know... And therefore there is no need to change those things... even if I wish I didn't had to remember them all."  
Victor smiled: "Wise words... Chris had told me something similar."  
"Really?" Cole asked surprised.  
Victor nodded: "Yeah... and do you know what? Tell that to Phoebe like you told it to me... And then ask her!... She will say 'yes', believe me!" Both smiled again.

°°°°°°°°°°

About an hour later Darryl and Paige visited the sixth family on their list. They were sitting in the living room of Mr. and Mrs. Taylor. Her daughter was one of those missed persons.  
"And there was nothing else? They just disappeared?" Paige asked for a countless time that day.  
Mr. Taylor nodded. "Do you know something new?" he asked then.  
Darryl sighed: "Yes... no... I mean... maybe... We had found something witch could be related to that case, but we're not sure."  
The man nodded: "Anyway... It's good to know that the police had not forgotten about her."  
Paige took his hand: "We'll do our best to find your daughter, I promise." The man just nodded.  
Then they had to say goodbye. They shook hands and left the house.  
"Everytime the same," Darryl remarked while they went down the little way through the garden.  
Paige nodded with a sigh. "Frustrating," she whispered.  
When they hit the street suddenly a man about maybe forty years stepped into their way. "Your asking about Angela Tylor?" he asked. Darryl nodded.  
"Do you know something about what happened at her marriage?" Paige asked.  
"Maybe," he answered. "Follow me."  
The man went a few yards down the street. Darryl and Paige looked at each other, then followed him. The man went trough the garden of another house, behind that house and into a little garage-like building.  
"Who are you?" Darryl asked after he had closed the door behind them.  
"Andy," he said, "I'm a friend of Michael Wellington, the bride groom of Angela."  
Paige nodded: "And what do you know?"  
"Look, nobody believes me, even not my own family... so..."  
"Don't worry, we'll record that as anonymous," Darryl said.  
He nodded. Then he began to pace through the little room, which seemed to be his 'home'. He seemed to be very nervous.  
"Ok," he said then. "Three days before their marriage we were on a festival. We wanted to celebrate his last days as bachelor... There was a carousel... a very weird one... with ghost and monsters instead of little ponies... And there was a clown who owned it, or worked their, I don't know... There was nothing special about it... not really..."  
"And?" asked Darryl a little bored.  
But Paige smiled at Andy: "Please go on..."  
He nodded: "The next day Mike told me he had a dream... he dreamed about that clown and that carousel... And he told me that the clown said to him, that he will never marry, never..." He made a short break, then he went on: "Mike was really afraid... God, I wished I would have believed him."  
Paige smiled at him: "Don't worry about that... It wasn't your fault, and... I'm sure we'll find him."  
The man looked at her frowning: "After all those years?... That would be more than a miracle."

°°°°°°°°°°

Piper was sitting down on an armchair with little Wyatt on her knees, and Jessica was again resting on the sofa. She had finally closed her eyes for some minutes, tired of all what had happened in the last hours, after having been contemplating the mother playing with her son. Piper had already given him his lunch, but the child didn't seem to be tired at all, he wanted to have fun.  
"You've got a very sweet son, Piper," Jessica said with her eyes still closed.  
Piper smiled: "Yes, he really is... You are sweet, aren't you, Wyatt?" The boy and the girl chuckled at the same time.  
"And I'm sure you'll be a great mother for that other little baby you're waiting for."  
Piper startled: "I thought you hadn't realized that I am..." she muttered.  
Jessica grinned, without opening her eyes. But it was a sad grin. "I'm a frustrated mother," she stated, bitterly. "That was our dream... We really wanted to have lots of sons and daughters. But it just couldn't be." She sighed, and half-opened her eyes, smiling at Wyatt. "Your children will be lucky to have you as their mom, and also the little one, with this big brother."  
Piper smiled again, pensive: "Yes... I guess we're all lucky. And Chris will have a wonderful brother."  
The girl pushed herself to a sitting position and frowned. "Are you going to call him like the guy who helped me come here? Who's he, by the way? And his wife? They can't be your son or daughter, the ages don't fit at all... But he had called you 'mom'!" she wondered in a loud voice, now remembering that moment clearly.  
Piper, who was shocked at first with the unexpected question, sighed. "Yeah... He's my brother, my little brother..." she lied. "My mom died early and I helped raising him... He loves to call me 'mom'."  
The girl lay again on the sofa: "Oh, sorry... I didn't want to be rude..."  
"Oh, it's ok! There are too many people in this house! It's a normal question," Piper said laughing, but in her mind she was praying that those lies won't backfire someday.

°°°°°°°°°°

Chris and Bianca were walking along the beautiful streets of the theme park, holding each other's hands.  
"The chocolate was fantastic, Bianca. That was a great idea!"  
She smiled: "Yes, I know, sweetie. You needed it."  
"How are you feeling now?" he asked her, looking straight in her eyes, gravely.  
"Oh, Chris... I'm fine. I'm just sorry, I don't know how I could have been so stupid to be afr..."  
"It's ok, Bianca... You know. I understand you," he winked, "but now, are you fine?" He grinned.  
"Yeah, I am..." she smiled widely and kissed his cheek. "And she is, Chris..." she pointed to her womb, tenderly, "she's completely alright by your side... She knows her daddy will be the best."  
They both laughed, happily. They had been walking and walking without following any of the marked routes, when they realized they had reached one of the ends of the park, those places where hardly anyone goes, and where you realize that it's only a park, a fictional world.  
They found themselves at the back of the Robinson's tree, and all was so quiet...  
"Hey, Bianca... we're getting out of this area of the park.. Let's go another way, I think I read the Pirates of the Caribbean ride is somewhere over here..."  
"Hush..." begged the girl.  
Chris obeyed and looked in the same direction as she. There was nothing. He frowned and turned to Bianca: "What's the problem?"  
"Don't you hear that?" she asked. "The music?"  
Chris shook his head. He tried to hear, but the sounds of the rides and the kids and people behind them, it was impossible to get something else.  
"There's something over there... A tune... like those of the old carousels," she explained as she tried to get the tune. Chris paid more attention, but he got nothing.  
"Bianca, you must be getting that wrong, honey. There's that kind of music everywhere... And if we go that way, we'll only find the end walls of the park, with the machinery and all!"  
Bianca shook her head again: "I know that music Chris, I've heard it before. Or later, in the future, I mean..."  
Chris sighed: "Alright... So... We'll have a look... right?" He offered her his arm and she took it with a smile. They went into that direction where Bianca heard the music.  
After a few meters Chris began to hear it, too. "That's weird," he whispered. She nodded.  
There was still nothing to see. There were only some old trees and a lot of green grass.  
Bianca sighed: "Maybe it's better we turn back... I got a bad feeling honey."  
Chris nodded. There was something wrong, he could feel it. "Just let us go over to that tree," he said pointing at a big tree in front of them.  
His wife nodded weakly. Slowly they went on. Bianca felt her heart beating faster with every step they took.  
Then they saw it. A little old carousel was standing just between those trees. A merry-go-round with some vampires, devils and other demonic creatures instead of ponies.  
"What the hell is that?" Chris asked.  
Bianca shrugged. "But whatever it is, I think we should go back," she said after a short moment.  
Chris nodded. They were about to leave that place when they heard someone laughing.  
Chris turned around again. There, next to the carousel, stood a clown. He laughed hardly holding his belly.  
Bianca frowned: "Chris, we should go..."  
But her husband didn't react, he just focused on the clown. It was weird. Something inside him was forcing him to go a bit nearer.  
Bianca felt that he let off her hand. He stepped a little closer... one step... two... three...  
"Honey, no!" Bianca exclaimed. Suddenly she felt a kind of hit inside her, inside her womb. And then another one. She writhed under that short but strong pain. "NO CHRIS!" she yelled again, just realizing that Hope was trying to warn them.  
But it was too late. Chris was just about 8 steps away from her when the clown suddenly jumped over and grasped his neck.  
"NO!" Bianca yelled desperate, while Hope rose the forcefield around her.  
She wasn't able to hear anything. But she saw... she saw the face of her love, she saw the pain in his face. She saw him yelling when the clown pushed his hand into his body! Then Chris disappeared in a green shining light.  
Bianca was crying in pain. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Then she saw the clown approaching her now, slowly, observing the silver-shining forcefield.  
Bianca breathed heavily. She felt the panic insider her, she was kind of paralyzed. Then suddenly bluish orbing-lights surrounded her. And then the clown, the carousel, the trees disappeared.

°°°°°°°°°°

Victor had brought the empty bottles to the kitchen. When he returned Cole sat still on the sofa like he had left him. But his eyes seemed a little worried now.  
"What's wrong," he asked, while he sat down again.  
"Hemm?" Cole muttered as if he had been waking up from a dream.  
"I asked what's wrong... You seem to worry about something."  
Cole sighed then nodded: "I don't know. Suddenly I've got that kind of feeling... You know, when you feel that something is going on."  
Victor rose his eyebrows: "You mean like intuition?"  
Cole nodded: "Yeah... You know... that's the most interesting kind of 'human feeling', and I still don't understand it. Maybe because that feeling did only rarely bother me in my long life..."  
Victor smiled: "There is nothing to understand about intuition. Nobody can explain that... it's like an radar-system that tells you when there is something going on... in a way it's like magic I think."  
Both man smiled about that thought. And as soon as it had come, Cole had forgotten that strange feeling he had.

_

* * *

(Chapter 3 written by Chrissy.W.x and Belén)_


	4. Chapter 4

**A Charmed Story - Part Five:  
20 Weddings And A Funeral?  
Chapter 4**

When Phoebe and Leo orbed back home, Paige and Darryl where already there. They sat on the sofa in the living room, next to the girl.  
"Where is Piper?" Leo asked.  
"Kitchen," Paige answered shortly. She looked really tiered.  
"Oh, you're back," remarked Piper when she entered the room with a sandwich for the girl. Jessica took it and ate it quickly... she seemed to be very hungry.  
"Did you found something out?" Piper asked after she had sat down, too.  
"Not really," Darryl said, "it's always the same story. The couple is about to change the rings and then, from on second to another, they are gone."  
Leo nodded: "Yeah, we heard the same story, but Phoebe had a vision."  
"Really?" Piper asked. "What have you seen?"  
"It was a weird mix of pictures. A carousel with monsters, the couple itself, a clown..."  
"A clown?" Paige asked surprised, while Darryl seemed to be completely confused by her words.  
"Yeah," Phoebe nodded, "why?"  
"Well..." Paige answered, "a friend of one of the missed bride grooms told us, that they were on a festival a few days before the marriage. There was an old carousel and there was a clown, who seemed to work there. Later the bride groom had dreamed about the clown and he told the man that he will never marry."  
"That's interesting," Piper muttered.  
"It seems we have a first trace," Leo remarked.  
Piper rose again: "I'll go up to the attic and have a look on the book."  
"And I'll go and ask the Elders," Leo add.  
"Orb me to the school, before, I'll check the books in the library," Phoebe said. He nodded.  
"Maybe you should take Wyatt with you, too... he's safer at the kindergarten," Paige added remembering the mysterious shadow they had seen. Now it was Piper who nodded.  
But before anyone could leave some bluish lights appeared when Bianca orbed in.  
It took less then a second for the others to realize that there was something wrong. Bianca looked terrible. She was very pale and her face was covered with tears. "Chris," she muttered weakly, then she broke down.  
Jessica stopped eating all of a sudden, looking at Bianca paler and paler every second.  
Piper and Leo had rushed to the woman, and helped her to take a seat, and then Leo applied his healing palms on Bianca's forehead. But she was fine, she was only scared and dismayed... and pregnant, of course.  
Phoebe approached her and sat down on the floor, in front of her knees. "What happened, Bianca?" she asked, feeling her distress and worries.  
"He... the clown.. the clown took him... it was my fault..." she sobbed.  
Jessica startled, even more than the rest who were all shocked.  
"The what?" Paige asked, opening her eys widely.  
"The clown..." Phoebe repeated, in a murmur.  
Bianca nodded: "There was this carousel in the park... I had never seen it before. I heard that music and insisted to go and check it, because it seemed familiar. Chris didn't want to go... But I insisted..." The girl's feeling of guilt was so big, she couldn't stop sobbing.  
Piper looked in Leo's worried eyes, but the man just stroke Bianca's hair: "It's not your fault, ok? Maybe, even if this is weird, this can help us... "  
"What?" Paige and Phoebe exclaimed at the same time. "Chris's being kidnapped by that crazy clown doesn't help, I think..."  
Leo shook his head: "The last trace we had was of 20 years ago or so. Now we know where the carousel has been seen for the last time. And they have Chris, he's a witch and an Elder. I bet this clown or whatever didn't count on having someone as powerful as him with them." Piper nodded slowly, while Jessica kept pale and silent staring at them. Staring at Bianca, her savior...  
Darryl, who had been also quiet behind them, just listening, finally coughed to attract their attention: "Maybe I can help... ?"  
Leo shook his head: "I'll go and talk to the Elders as I said. Piper, go to check the book, and Phoebe, I'll take you and Wyatt to the school. Darryl... Thanks, but I guess this is again more a magical case. Just, please, try to gather all the information of those couples and establish comparisons and similarities. We need some common point among them all, ok? Apart from the date..."  
"And with Chris..." muttered Jessica after her long silent.  
Bianca was shivering as she looked at her: "What do we have in common with all of them? Not even the date..." she said.  
Phoebe nodded: "But you're just married too..."  
Then Jessica shook her head again: "That's the difference. They are married. We didn't..." She was paler than before.  
Paige sighed, then she got an idea: "Hey... Maybe they didn't make any mistake, and knew well who Chris is... Perhaps they wanted him after all."  
Bianca frowned: "They wanted us both... Little Hope orbed me home. She protected me, but she wasn't able to protect her dad. He was like... hypnotized."  
"The music?" Paige asked, questioningly.  
Bianca shrugged: "Perhaps. But it didn't get to me..."  
There was a silence for a minute. Then Piper clapped her hands: "Ok, there's no time to lose, Chris is in danger! So... Leo, do as you said, Darryl, please, go and check those coincidences out, ok? And I'll go to the book. We're gonna find out what the hell is going on."  
"Don't forget the shadow over Jessica..." Paige said as she saw them disappearing and Darryl going out.  
Suddenly she had an idea. "Hey! Piper! Wait..." Bianca and Piper looked at her, confused, but Paige went on: "Jessica, everyone said that you just vanished, like that... all the couples. But Bianca... you saw Chris disappear, how was it?"  
Bianca was pensive, even if she wasn't able to stop shivering:  
"The clown... he kept him from his neck, and then, pushed his hand harshly like... like into his chest and finally made him disappear in a greenish light..."  
Jessica startled: "Now you mention that... I felt a very sharp pain in my chest too. I cried and..." She stopped. She thought she had just seen that clown there. But the memory had been like a flash, and she couldn't keep it in mind.  
"That might be because Chris is more powerful, as well, as Bianca, and he had to use other powers..." Piper suggested, frowning.  
Paige shook her head: "Piper... freeze Jessica."  
Piper looked at her shocked: "WHATTTTTTTT?"  
Paige insisted: "Just do it, Piper!"  
Her sister did it before Jessica could even ask. Then, Paige went to the back of Bianca's seat, and ducked, so that Jessica wouldn't see her.  
"Now, unfreeze her again..." she told Piper.  
The woman did it and Jessica was unfroze. When she looked at them, she was more scared than ever.  
"She vanished!" she exclaimed. "He's coming, he's coming after me!"  
Bianca opened her mouth widely, understanding, as Paige stood up again with a triumphant smiled drawn on her face.  
"And... That's what happened!" she said.  
Jessica frowned, trembling, so Piper went to her, and took her hand.  
"Don't worry, that was white magic. I was trying something." Then she turned to her sister, angrily: "Something I hope she can explain to us NOW!"  
Paige grinned: "Hey girls... It's easy... The guests of the weddings... were frozen! Just like Jessica right now... That's why they got that impression, that they had simply vanished!"  
"Oh, MY GOD!" Piper exclaimed. Bianca was shocked, and Jessica confused. "So you think... this time it's not a demon that we are facing... It's a witch!" Paige nodded, smiling happily.  
Piper stood up, and walked to the stairs: "I'll check the book anyway..."

°°°°°°°°°°

When Chris rematerialized, he just fell down on the ground, as if he had been pushed to it. He raised his eyes a bit weakly because of the harsh pain on his body, and saw it... the carousel.  
But when he turned around he realised that the only colourful thing there was the carousel itself. The rest, was a world of black and white, or greys. It was a weird world.  
A huge boot stepped right below his chin, so he had to look up and face the clown.  
"What is this?" he asked.  
"This is another plane... A parallel plane, boy. MY world of fantasies..." And then he started to laugh in a very weird and distressing way, as he grabbed Chris by his shoulder and pushed him on his feet.  
"What do you want from me?" Chris asked trying to sound confident.  
The clown smiled: "Revenge!" Then he turned around and was about to leave.  
Chris didn't understand all that. "Revenge? For what?" he yelled.  
The clown turned around, still smiling he was approaching him again. "You have stolen one of my holograms, one of my best," he whispered. He was so close to Chris now, that he could smell his rotten breath. It made him feel sick.  
"But I didn't steal her... I..." he yelled when the clown was about to edge away from him again.  
Again he turned around, but this time he kept the distance: "No... not you, your girl did it... and by the way she was the one I wanted in first place... But I think you're enough to re-complete my collection. You are even more than that..."  
'Bianca,' Chris thought.  
"But maybe..." the clown went on, "I'll go and take her a little later...to see what I'm going to do with you..."  
"NO!" Chris yelled furious and attacked that evil bastard. He wanted to threw him away with his telekinesis, but it didn't work. So he tried to beat him with his fists, but... he fell just trough him. The power of his own stroke made him fall to the ground again.  
The clown just smiled: "You can't beat me... your powers don't work here. But..." He moved his hand and made Chris flew though the air and crashing against the inner circle of the carousel. Then the clown went over to him to look into his eyes: "...be sure... I can let you go though a lot more pain than that!" He smiled evilly.  
"They will find me, my family will find me and they will vanquish you..." Chris replied with a lot of anger in his voice.  
But the clown just laughed. "Stay here, till I decide what I'll do with you," he said and disappeared.  
Chris sighed. He couldn't believe that his powers were not working. He closed his eyes and tried to orb, but he couldn't.  
He shook his head. Then he thought about Bianca and that made him cry a little. He wanted to wipe away his tears, but when he rose his hand he suddenly understood. He understood, why he wasn't able to use his powers.  
His hand was transparent. And not only his hand... Every part of his body was transparent including his clothes. 'I'm a hologram' he thought, 'I'm not real... so my powers aren't real, either.'

°°°°°°°°°°

Cole and Victor were still sitting on the sofa, they had a large book with pictures on their knees. Pictures form the sisters childhood.  
"Oh that's cute," Cole said and pointed at a picture of Phoebe at the age of three with a big dish of ice-cream in her hand and a lot more spread around her face.  
Victor laughed and nodded.  
Cole really enjoyed watching all those pictures. More and more he felt like a part of that family, and that was a good feeling. His whole life he was trying to get away from all that family business, especially because of his own demonic mother... He was kind of afraid of that thing. But now... now he had learned that being part of a family is one of the most important things in life. Especially when you have such a good one, like the Halliwells.  
"It's sad that I have less pictures from the sisters when they were older," Victor mentioned while they went on.  
Cole nodded: "I really don't understand why Penny... well... why she don't like you."  
Victor laughed: "That's easy... I'm not a witch."  
Cole nodded: "Yeah, I'll never forget her face when I told her that I'm human... I think that was more difficult for her to accept than if I had been still a demon."  
Victor laughed about his imagination of that picture.  
Then Cole noticed another picture of Phoebe. He pointed and it and asked: "Was that at Halloween?"  
Victor smiled: "No... when she was a teenager she was usually dressed like that?"  
"You're kidding," Cole said and looked at the picture again. Phoebe was looking like a mixture between punk and rowdy.  
"No... she was really crazy... a little rebel."  
Cole looked still at the picture unbelieving. Then he suddenly remembered his talk with adult Wyatt. 'She is just like her mother was at that age,' he had said about his first daughter.  
'Oh no!' he thought and sighed. But then he smiled. He would surly have a lot of fun with his own kids.  
Victor was wondering what his friend was thinking about, but when he saw his smile, he knew it must be something good.  
But then he noticed that Cole's expression changed. "What's wrong?" he asked.  
Cole kept silent for a moment. Then he turned to his friend: "I don't know... just a feeling."  
Victor frowned: "Intuition?" Cole nodded. "Like a few minutes ago?"  
Cole nodded again: "It's like... I think there is something going on at home... But... I can't catch it." Then he asked: "Would you mind when I call for Leo to take me home? I can't sit here any longer if I'm not sure that everything is alright.  
Victor nodded: "No problem... maybe I should..."  
But Cole rose his hands: "No... you're not so used to that magical stuff... and IF there is something going on, you'll be safer here." Victor nodded and Cole called for the Elder.

°°°°°°°°°°

Jessica was sitting on the old sofa in the attic, observing the others. Piper was concentrated on the book, while Paige had closed her eyes. She was trying to sense Chris. Bianca was half lying on the floor, she was touching her womb and whispering something.  
Jessica felt a little like being at the wrong place. She wished she could help in a way. But she didn't know how.  
Suddenly Piper rose her head. "Bianca you said the clown wanted you, too?"  
The girl nodded. Piper sighed.  
"What the...?" Paige exclaimed. She couldn't concentrate as long as the others were talking.  
"I still don't understand why he took Chris. That fits not to the rest!" Piper explained her thoughts.  
"But I've seen it," Bianca muttered and sobbed again a little.  
"I know honey," Piper said and went over to her, tying to comfort her.  
"Maybe he just wanted a kind of compensation?" Paige suggested.  
Jessica looked up: "Compensation?"  
"Yeah, they freed you, so he wanted someone new."  
"But he was after me, too." Bianca remarked.  
"Maybe," Piper said, "or he was just attracted by your forcefield. Maybe he didn't reckon with something like that."  
Paige nodded: "Maybe he still don't know who he had caught."  
Piper rose her eyebrow: "That would be surly safer for him."

°°°°°°°°°°

Cole was pacing around. Also Victor became a little uneasy now.  
"LEO!" the ex-demon yelled for the tenth time. "I don't understand why he don't come..." he muttered.  
"Maybe he is with the other Elders?" Victor suggested.  
Cole shook his head: "Even there he must hear me calling."  
Victor frowned "That's weird."  
Cole nodded: "Actually I have a real bad feeling about this. There is something wrong, I'm sure."  
"Maybe you should call for Chris," Victor suggested.  
Cole shook his head: "He's on his honeymoon... I wouldn't disturb him even if the world would be braking into pieces."  
Victor nodded : "Ok, so we take my car, I'll drive you there... it needs only..."  
"No," Cole said with a smile, "thanks for your offer, but that takes too much time.  
Victor sighed: "And what will you do now?"  
Cole thought about that for a moment. The he asked: "Can I use your phone?" As Victor nodded, he went over and dialed a number.  
"Tom? Yeah, here's Cole... Yeah, boy, I need a taxi... Could you come to Victors apartment?... The adress is..." Victor heard him talk, "Yeah I just want to go home, but I can't reach Leo as it seems..."  
Before Cole had ended the call, Tom shimmered in.  
"Hey Mr. Ban... Sorry... Victor," he said with a smile.  
"Hello Tom," Victor answered still sitting on the sofa. 'That was a good idea, the perfect taxi,' he thought while watching him. Then he turned to Cole: "You call me, when you know what's going on?"  
"Of course I will," Cole answered and took Tom's hand.  
"Ready?" they young man asked. Cole nodded and they shimmered away.

°°°°°°°°°°

That day wasn't a holiday at all, so the school was full of kids and teenagers going from one place to another. Actually, the library itself was 'overcrowded', if we take into account the small number of people that it usually has.  
Phoebe took Wyatt to the kindergarten, and then she went to the library, to check the books, as she had said. She wasn't sure what she had to look for... Clowns? Holograms? Ok, they had tried with holograms first. Maybe it was worthwhile to try clowns this time...  
But it was hard for her to focus on her task, with all the kids speaking (and some of them were really afraid of some exams, as Phoebe could feel...), and with the fear that Chris was in some problem, harder than they figured out...  
'Oh, hell,' she thought, 'no one here knows that libraries are places for silence to reign?'  
Clowns... She had to find something about that, and the carousel... but the only thing she got was a couple of novels.

°°°°°°°°°°

Meanwhile, in the attic, Bianca, Jessica and Paige looked at Piper after her last words. She was right... Maybe the best thing for Chris was to keep his powers as a secret... Suddenly, the air waved in a strange way, and Tom and Cole materialized in the middle of the attic.  
"Cole! I thought you were with dad..." Piper exclaimed, visibly worried. "Is everything ok?" Tom didn't move, he just looked at Cole and then to Piper, expectantly.  
"No, no... He's fine, and me too... I just..." he frowned and cast a glance around him. When the girls were in the attic, something WAS wrong. "Where's Leo?" he asked. Then he frowned even more, at the sight of Bianca, and his heart started to beat strongly: "Where's Chris? What's happening here?"  
"Cole, sit down, man... This is a long story," Paige said, leading him to the sofa by Jessica's side, who smiled at him, softly.  
Bianca let go a sob as she heard Chris's name, but tried to hide her distress and tears from Cole, because she knew how bad that man felt whenever something happened to his nephew.  
"This is Jessica... Jessica, this is Cole. He's Phoebe's... well, he's..." she coughed.  
"Ok, I get it..." Jessica smiled more widely now, as Cole blushed.  
"Well, we're in process of discovering what we are, actually..." 'Ex-husband, boyfriend, fiancé... whatever,' he thought. "But who are you? And where's Phoebe?" he was alarmed.  
"Phoebe is fine, Cole, she's at the library in the school. Leo is talking to the Elders, and Chris is... well, he was caught."  
"What?" Tom and Cole exclaimed at the same time. The ex-demon stood up immediately: "But how?"  
Tom approached them. "If you need some help I can go and bring Steve and Nicki..." he offered.  
"No, it's ok, sweetie..." Piper said tiredly.  
"I'll stay, anyway," Tom added, determined not to move.  
Meanwhile, Jessica and Bianca had started to sob again. "It's my fault..." Jessica said. "He was caught probably because I was released..."  
"But who did this, is Chris in danger?" Cole asked.  
"A clown," Paige answered.  
"A what?"  
Tom smirked: "Ok... I get it... this is the fool's day, and you're kiddin'." All the heads turned to Tom in anger, so he just blushed, lowered his eyes, and shut up.  
Cole had grown paler: "A clown... what clown?" The others shrugged.  
"That's what Leo and Phoebe are trying to find out. This book is really getting out of fashion..." Piper closed it with a strong thud. There was nothing!  
"Ok..." Cole said, "can anyone explain everything to me? Because otherwise, I'll start to think as Tom did..."  
Piper sighed, and nodded: "Ok... This all began when Chris and Bianca interrupted their honey moon in Disney World..."

°°°°°°°°°°

Chris stood up and stumbled out of the carousel. He was afraid, man... He hated his new aspect, and he didn't really want to spend the rest of his life inside the Haunted Mansion or any other ride with holograms, making people have fun.  
He looked around... There was no one else there... He thought that maybe he could take some advantage of his state, and find something out about the mysterious girl they had rescued. What if he went to the haunted mansion? But the only thought made him thrill.  
He stepped forward, shivering a little bit, and all of a sudden, a hand held his arm.  
"Don't go there. Stay here... You'll only get hurt. Only the ones he wants to go out are allowed to leave this place. We have to wait."  
Chris turned quickly to face the voice's owner, and frowned. "Who are you?" he asked confused.  
"I'm Michael... Michael Wellington..."

* * *

_(Chapter 4 written by Chrissy.W.x and Belén)_


	5. Chapter 5

**A Charmed Story - Part Five:  
20 Weddings And A Funeral?  
Chapter 5**

Chris wasn't surprise to see that the man, who had spoken to him, was dressed up as a bridegroom, and that he was actually another hologram.  
"The question is... Who are you and what are you doing here? After so long, this is the first time that we got a new guest." Michael tried to smile mockingly, but he only achieved a very sad grimace.  
Chris swallowed, as he looked into his eyes. "How many guests are there, in this place?" he asked then, afraid of the answer.  
"Forty," the man replied, "forty-one with you."  
Chris grinned, but then he shook his head: "No... still forty... we freed one of you this morning... That's why that freaky clown caught me, I think."  
"You freed one?" Michael asked surprised.  
Chris nodded: "But don't ask me how, I still don't know it." He made a short break, looking around again. "How long have you been here?" he asked then.  
Michael shrugged: "I don't know... Sometimes I think time doesn't exist here... at least as long as you're alone. Anyway there is no day and night..." Chris nodded.  
"Who was it? The person that you've freed?" Michael asked.  
"A young woman, she was in the Haunted Mansion."  
Michael sighed: "So it must be Jessica... What a pity, I hoped it would have been Angy, my fiancée."  
Chris frowned: "Are all the people here engaged?"  
Michael nodded: "You are not?"  
"No, I'm married since... four d... days. He... He tired to get her too... but..." Chris said, but his voice broke.  
"Hey, I'm sorry man," Michael said and put his arm around him. He knew how hard it was for him to accept that situation. And he couldn't even imagine what he had felt if his Angy wouldn't have been on his side. Even if he saw her not that often, he knew she was there. Anyway. It would have been better for her to stay outside in the real world.  
"I wonder how she could escape the clown," he remarked then.  
Chris smiled weakly: "Our unborn daughter saved her. That was the last thing I saw, that Hope pulled the forcefield up."  
"What?" Michael exclaimed surprised without understanding.  
"Oh, I'm sorry," Chris lowered his eyes. He knew he shouldn't tell those things but... in that case. "I'm a witch," he explained, "same as my daughter is."  
Michael was speechless. He put a little space between them. 'A witch? that's crazy,' he thought, 'but... why not?' He had seen a lot of strange things since he had been imprisoned in that place.  
Chris noticed that Michael's arm was surrounding him, as soon as he took it back. He frowned: "How could you touch me? I tried to beat that clown and just fell through him. I thought it was because we... we have no... substance...?"  
Michael smiled: "That's just a matter of habit, you'll learn that soon." The man made a short break and then asked: "Would you now tell me your name?"  
Chris smiled a bit: "Sorry... I'm..." he thought about that for a moment, "I'm Chris Perry." He thought it would be better not to tell his real familyname, maybe the clown knew the Halliwells. 'Or maybe Bianca?' he thought. 'Didn't she say that she knew that kind of music?'  
"So welcome in the grey hell," Michael said, "and who knows, maybe you'll free us all someday."

°°°°°°°°°°

Tom had sat down on the floor. Cole was still shaking his head. "I knew it! Damn it!" he exclaimed.  
"What?" Paige asked worried.  
"What do you mean with 'you knew it'?" Piper asked in a more clearer way.  
Cole sighed: "I had a kind of feeling that something was going on... Like intuition... I can't describe it."  
Piper frowned. 'Could it be that there are still some demonic powers inside this man?' she thought. But that was impossible and she knew that.  
She shook her head: "Alright, we..."  
At that moment Leo returned. "Nothing," he said after finishing orbing. Then he noticed Cole and Tom: "What are you doing here?"  
Cole was about to say something, but Paige interrupted him. "He had a feeling of intuition," she explained with a freaky grin. Leo raised his eyebrows but said nothing.  
"They don't know anything about that clown?" Piper asked without paying attention to her sister.  
"No," Leo said, "but, because of the fact that you believe it could be a witch..."  
"You know that?" Paige interrupted him.  
"Yeah I heard you up there," he said and turned to his wife again, "because of that, they will ask around if a witch is missing." Piper nodded.  
At that moment another Elder orbed in, it was Odin.  
"What are you doing here?" Leo asked with narrowing eyes.  
Odin looked indignant: "What do you think? An Elder is missing, I want to help!"  
"Thanks," Piper said. But Leo was still distrustful.  
Suddenly Cole rose to speak: "I'll go downstairs to call Victor as I promised." Then he left the attic.  
Odin followed him with his narrowed eyes. He had felt something... Was that possible? 'No...' he thought and turned to Piper again: "Any new clues?"

°°°°°°°°°°

Phoebe sighed. There was nothing, really nothing that could help them to find Chris. She was afraid, that she would never see him again, that he would never be able to be there, when she married... if she married. She dreamt of it, she saw him there with the rings for her and Cole... She smiled. She owed him so much, and now? Now she wasn't able to find something to help him.  
"Hey, Phoebe what are you doing here, again?" a soft, friendly and well known female voice asked.  
Phoebe looked up and smiled: "Nicki, hey..."  
The girl frowned and sat down: "Alright... What's wrong?"  
"Huh?" Phoebe asked confused.  
"I know you Phoebe, and I know what you look like, when you're worried, so what's wrong?"  
Phoebe sighed: "Chris has been caught."  
"What? Who? How?" she asked disbelieving.  
"We're not sure. There was this hologram that he and Bianca brought to our house from Diseny World. She is a bride missed for about twenty years... Chris and Bianca returned to their honeymoon, but then Bianca came back and told us, that a clown had caught him and disappeared with him." Nicki looked at her with a very confused look in her eyes. Phoebe smiled weakly: "I know... I know how that sounds, but... that's what happened."  
The young woman frowned. "Maybe that isn't so crazy..."  
"What?"  
Nicki was still frowning as if she was thinking very hardly: "I'm not sure, but when I got here, there was rumour going around the upper classes."  
Phoebe left all the books on a table, without taking her eyes away from Nicki, and invited her to sit down in a corner away from the curious ears and looks of the students and teachers.  
"Ok... so tell me. Tell me everything you know," Phoebe whispered in a very excited tone.  
Nicki sighed. "It isn't much, actually..." she said, regretting having suggested that there was some hope. Now that she thought about it calmly, she had realised how stupid it could sound. But it all fitted somehow, so...  
"Hey, Nicki, whatever it is, it can help Chris, ok? We've got nothing, so however little the information is, that's something, and that's what really matters, right?" Phoebe insisted.  
Nicki finally nodded: "Well, it was only an urban legend, you know? I mean... if it were something really important or something REAL, the Elders would have been interested. But it was another story, just like those of the demonic witch that lived, somewhere in the school and chased all the students if they dared to use their magic to get the answers for the exams."  
Phoebe chuckled: "Yeah... that's funny, I wonder who invented it."  
Nicki also smiled: "Well, Phoebe... the thing is that the students of the upper levels loved to scare us all. So they used these stories. This one was very popular... Some said that there was a clown who lived in some hidden parts of this school, and that he liked to kidnap children for his collection. In fact, they said he was a witch that had gone nuts."  
Phoebe frowned: "I see... But this one, it seems, loves kidnapping couples just in the moment they're going to say the 'Yes I do'. Well, it seems he loved doing so 20 years ago. Maybe he completed his collection."  
"I told you this was only an urban legend. But you know, legends have always a base. I didn't pay much attention to this, but Steve loved this stuff, and he used to gather the information about those legends, and try to find out what was true and what was invented... He told me once that the story of the clown might be based on a student, Peter... whatever, who was actually the son of two clowns in the circus that used to come every summer to San Francisco."  
Phoebe was listening attentively as she went on: "Well, I'm not really sure, but I think he said that he wasn't their true son, that he had been kidnapped and his new parents, these clowns, discovered his magic and made him work in the circus. Until he finally escaped, and someone brought him to the school."  
"And..." Phoebe was pensive "You say the Elders don't know anything?"  
Nicki shook her head: "Well, he wasn't a clown, Phoebe. He was a just a tormented child. No one here knew anything about his past. That story was only on his profile, but these clowns were normal people, so nothing magical involved."  
"And... You then mean that Steve thought this story could be based on this Peter? Because some trauma?"  
Nicki nodded: "Well, he asked and found out that the legend could be traced back up to his days. He said that Peter was a bit… difficult; and maybe he was punished in those cells we found, remember? Those that Gideon had kept in secret. That would turn anyone crazy, let alone one who has already lost some marbles. The story says that this clown appeared during the nights."  
"But if he had actually kidnapped someone, the Elders and teachers..."  
Nicki shook her head again: "I think we should talk to Steve, you know? But I don't think the clown really kidnapped anyone at that time, here. It was a legend, I said. A legend that grew up and got fatter, and reached our days like that."  
Phoebe bit her lower lip, thoughtful. "And what about the holograms?" she asked.  
Nicki frowned: "As I said... let's find Steve. I think he's got a free hour now."

°°°°°°°°°°

Chris and Michael walked side by side, in silence. It was really sad... Chris felt very upset because now Michael knew he was a witch, he thought there was some hope in that, and there wasn't actually. What if he couldn't actually save them? Something he really doubted.  
Then he smiled sadly, with his eyes glassy. Hope... There's always hope... Hope must be reborn. His 'little Hope'.  
"Why don't you tell me something about you?" Michael asked suddenly. Chris turned to him in surprise, which made the man blush.  
"I'm sorry, I've been too much time here, I guess. I've forgotten all the good manners. But I'm excited, I've met a true witch... Are you good, by the way? You must, because you saved Jessica… Where are your hat and broom? And... shouldn't you be a woman?" Michael was frowning, and seemed so confused, that Chris had to laugh in spite of himself.  
"You read many tales when you were a child, didn't you? No... Men are also witches, and we don't wear hats or brooms. Well, I hate hats, although some like using bonnets," he laughed again. "Look..." he said turning serious, "we witches are like normal people, we try to have normal lives. We have families, children, we marry, we divorce... we go to school and to the University, if there's time, and we work. And we also suffer, and cry..."  
"And die?" asked Michael, somber.  
Chris took his time to answer, feeling like a gulp had formed in his throat. Then he nodded slowly: "And die..." He sighed.  
There was a pause again, that Michael broke after a while: "So, I guess your lives are really hard..."  
Chris nodded: "Yes, they are... But there's the reward then. We save so many people, that it's really worth the pain, the fear, and everything. It's even worth your death, if you get something for those you love..."  
Michael nodded, moved by his words. Then he looked him in the eyes.  
"You've lived through much, man... I can see that in your eyes. You're young... But your eyes tell many stories."  
Chris felt a bit uncomfortable with that conversation. It was bringing back too many sad memories, to bear at that moment, in that situation.  
So he coughed to clear his voice and changed the topic: "The music… What is it?"  
Michael stared at him without understanding. "A popular tune in this kind of carrousels... A bit sinister, if you ask so..."  
Chris nodded: "Yeah... I just thought it could help... somehow."  
Michael frowned: "We can talk to someone else, let's see if we can find them.. Maybe any of the other people here knows something."

°°°°°°°°°°

Piper shook her head: "There is nothing inside the book... nothing about holograms or clowns..."  
"If it's a witch... could it be one of the dark witches from the underworld?" Bianca suggested suddenly.  
"You know about the dark witches?" Odin asked surprised.  
Bianca nodded: "Met them once."  
Odin nodded, then he added: "No... they are not involved... because even those witches have whitelighters."  
"WHAT?" Bianca exclaimed, Paige and Piper at the same time.  
"Calm down, please..." Leo said and explained, "they have them, but... they don't want them... They even killed one of their whitelighters... But there is a whitelighter for each of them, and those knew where the witches are, ok?" The witches nodded. Only Bianca was still doubtful about that. But they had other problems now.  
"If we would knew how that girl got free..." Odin remarked pointing at Jessica.  
The girl was about to answer, but Leo was faster: "But we DO NOT know!"  
Piper looked at her husband frowning, but said nothing. Paige looked at the girl, telling her with her eyes to keep silence. None of the two witches knew what was going on, but they knew that Leo must had a good reason to lie to Odin.  
At that time Cole returned: "He sends you greetings! He said I shall call him as soon as we have something new... Do we have something new?"  
Tom, who was sitting in a corner, observing the others the whole time, now rose to speak: "I think we should split up in teams."  
The other looked at him waiting for more. He felt their eyes placed on him. "We should try to make some potions, just in case... and Leo and Odin, you could try to sense him... And Paige could go to Darryl again..."  
No one answered. Then Piper broke the silence: "Ok Leo, Odin you can go downstairs, there you will not be disturbed. Paige, you go to Darryl and ask him if he found something new, and we'll stay here. Me and Tom make some potions and Cole take care of Jessica and Bianca."  
Leo nodded and led Odin to the door. Paige was already orbing away.  
"Again the babysitter-job," Cole muttered but did as they asked him to.

°°°°°°°°°°

Leo and Odin went down the stairs.  
"I don't understand, why don't we orb down there?" Odin asked.  
"Because it's not necessary," Leo answered.  
They went into the living room and Odin sat down on the sofa. Leo placed himself at the edge of the table. He closed his eyes trying to sense Chris.  
But Odin interrupted him: "Leo there is something we have to talk about."  
Leo sighed and opened his eyes again: "Do you really think that this is the right moment to talk about Chris and..."  
"No not Chris... I'm, talking about the ex-demon!"  
"Cole?" Leo frowned "What's wrong with him?"  
Odin sighed: "Didn't you feel it?"  
Leo narrowed his eyes: "What?"  
Odin shook his head: "When I was up there with him, I felt a kind of... like a little piece of magic inside him... Didn't you feel that, too?"  
"No," Leo answered thoughtful. He had thought about something like that, when Cole told them about his intuition... but... "Do you believe he has still demonic powers? That's impossible...!"  
"No, no..." Odin raised his hands in defense, "that man is good I'm sure... but... Maybe..."  
"Maybe what?" Leo asked.  
"Maybe WE did something wrong..."  
"We?" Leo asked surprised, not knowing about anything he could be guilty for... But then he remembered and his face turned a little angry: "No... IF it's like that... then YOU did wrong...You send them there!"  
Odin sighed: "I know."  
"I told you from the beginning that this was completely crazy! But you did it..." Leo's anger rose.  
"I know," Odin muttered.  
"If he is now... Do you know what you've done to him? He has just managed to deal with having NO powers!"  
"I know," Odin answered, "but it was our only chance, and you know that!"  
"Keep it... Don't waste your words..." Leo said, now calmed again. "We have more important things to do. We can discuss that later."

°°°°°°°°°°

Tom took a big bottle from the shelf.  
"Be careful," Piper remarked.  
"I know... a little piece of that can let explode the whole house!" he said before she could go on teaching him. "You know, I have my exam," he added while placing the bottle on the table.  
"Sorry," Piper said, "but... I even tell that to my sisters everytime they need to use it, and so they remind it to me."  
Tom nodded. Then he leant a bit forward and whispered: "Do you know how they freed that girl?"  
Piper looked at him and then she nodded weakly.  
"Chris?" he whispered, knowing that he was more powerful than an Elder. Piper shook her head.  
Tom frowned, then he turned around to watch the others. Jessica was sitting on a chair in the corner of the attic. She wanted to be alone. Cole sat on the old sofa. Bianca was lying there too, with her head on his lap. Cole caressed her hair. She was crying again.  
Then Tom turned to Piper again, knowing that there was only one person maybe more powerful than Chris. "Hope?" he whispered. Now Piper nodded slowly.  
The young man sighed. "That girl will be really huge... Does Bianca know that?"  
Piper shook her head again and added: "Concentrate on the potion or..."  
"... the whole house will be blown up, I know," he ended that advice on his own.  
All kept now silent for a while. Then suddenly something was moving through the air.  
"The shadow," Jessica muttered. She was about to panic.  
Piper looked up trying to see something, but she couldn't. She just thought the girl had dreamt, but suddenly there was the shield around Bianca.  
"Wow," Tom muttered impressed by that.  
Piper pushed him from the back: "Go and shimmer Jessica downstairs."  
Tom nodded and went over, but then there was the shadow again.  
"Oops," the young man exclaimed and stepped backwards again.  
"Piper do something!" Cole yelled.  
The shadow was surrounding the girl. It was waving around her.  
"No, you could maybe hurt Jessica!" That was Tom.  
Piper sighed then she blew up a vase that stood next to the girl. Jessica screamed. The shadow was leaving here as soon as the explosion took place. It was moving through the attic again. Piper wanted to blow it up now, but suddenly someone grasped her hands.  
It was Jassica. "No," she pledged, "don't hurt him, it's Jason... my fiancé!"

_

* * *

(Chapter 5 written by Belén and Chrissy.W.x)_


	6. Chapter 6

**A Charmed Story - Part Five:  
20 Weddings And A Funeral?  
Chapter 6**

Darryl sighed tiredly, leaning his body heavily on the back of the chair and placing his feet on the desk. "Coincidences? Only the ones we know... All of them were couples, husband-and-wife-to-be, officially disappeared, 'vanished' in the very same year and at the very same moment of the ceremony..."  
Paige exhaled heavily, disappointed: "Is that all? Didn't you find any more coincidences?"  
Darryl shook his head and shrugged, resigned. He was about to say something, when the door opened.  
"Inspector Morris, I wanted to ask... Oh... I'm so sorry... I didn't know you had visit..."  
Paige turned to look at the man who had just entered, to find herself facing Kyle Turner, the cute officer she had had the chance to meet in her previous visit.  
"Maybe you should knock on the door before..."  
"It's ok, it's ok... " intervened Paige, trying to help the man who had just blushed. "I don't mind, really. We have already met."  
She smiled at Kyle, who looked at her in surprise.  
"Oh, yes! I'm sorry, I had my mind so busy I didn't realise... Your name was, Miss..."  
"Matthews, but you can call me Paige. That's ok."  
"Alright Miss.. Oh, sorry... Paige," he grinned.  
Darryl rolled his eyes in desperation: "Well, officer Turner, now, if you don't mind..."  
He nodded quickly: "Yes, I'll come later... Sorry." He was about to close the door, when he spotted the profiles on Darryl's desk: "Wait..."  
The two heads in the office turned to him.  
"Is that the case of those disappeared couples? Is it opened again?" He had approached them, frowning.  
Paige nodded: "Yes, well... I had some clues and questions, and..."  
"Why didn't you tell me when you came the first time?" he insisted, reading one of them.  
"Why? Well, I don't know... I guess I had enough with inspector Morris..."  
Darryl smirked. "Thanks, Paige..." he said ironically. Then he stared at the man narrowing his eyes: "So... can you help us?"  
Kyle shrugged. "I'm not sure... Did you look at the dates?" he asked.  
Both nodded at the same time. "All this happened the same year, but on different days..." said Darryl tiredly.  
"Yeah but... the dates... Didn't you realise? All these couples were going to marry on a very significant date."  
Darryl looked at him in disbelief, taking a glance at the profiles: "August, 19; July, 19; June, 10... Nothing special... Except the repetition of the number 19, does that mean something?"  
Paige turned to Kyle, wonderingly, but the officer shook his head.  
"No, no, no... Look, June, 10; July, 19; August, 19; September, 18 and September 20... The Salem trials, for God's Sake!"  
Darryl felt his heart stop beating and Paige opened her mouth widely, in shock.  
"But this might be a simple coincidence, this doesn't make any sense... There are other dates, too..." the detective said.  
Kyle took all the profiles rudely, impatient, and showed them to the two people in the room. "Ok... The Salem ones is a thing. But these other dates... April, 14, for instance, some witches were burnt in Italy..."  
"Oh..." Paige was paler and paler every minute. "That might be something..."

°°°°°°°°°°

Steve had already told the whole story to Phoebe and Nicki. The girl had been very accurate, in fact.  
"So this boy, Peter, was kidnapped and sold to the circus, and then mistreated and obliged to work... Until he escaped and came to the school..." Phoebe was looking at the files with Peter's information, as she spoke. "And then, the story of the clown started?"  
"That's it.." Steve nodded, sipping a bit of the tea he had prepared. "The boy wasn't in his mind, but he didn't hurt anyone. Actually, people hurt him by inventing all those stories..."  
"But there was a clown..." Phoebe insisted.  
Steve shrugged: "That was never confirmed. There was also a story of a child that said he had seen the clown, and he had told him that he hated those who had mistreated him, because they hated witches. That they were always praising the people who killed the Salem witches and all... The child said the clown wanted to get revenge, and do something great. Something big... To remember those days, like a tribute to the dead witches."  
Nicki shuddered: "So there's a testimony..."  
Steve shook his head: "This child had spent several weeks in bed, with high fevers. Whitelighters weren't able to heal him, but that's another story. The thing is that he must have hallucinated... Maybe he was talking his own mind, because it seems this child, Jake, was actually a descendant of one of those murdered witches in Salem."  
Phoebe kept pensive for a moment... "What if... it is not Peter the clown we're looking for, but this Jake? Maybe he was so shocked and scared by the clown story that he turned into the clown itself?. Perhaps Peter never did... As you said, Nicki, it was just a legend..."  
The two teens shrugged. "Maybe, or maybe not... We should keep looking for information," Steve said. "I'd suggest to take a look at both students' powers, just in case... to be prepared to save Chris."

°°°°°°°°°°

Leo and Odin orbed in, right in the moment the shadow disappeared again.  
"What's going on here?" Leo asked. "We heard a scream."  
Piper sighed: "We had just a little visit... by Jessica's bridegroom as it seems."  
Leo and Odin looked at the girl. She nodded weakly.  
"How?" Odin asked.  
"It was like a shadow," Piper explained, "it was waving around Jessica and then it went away..."  
"After you scared him," Cole remarked.  
Piper looked at him with narrowed eyes: "Didn't you tell me to do something?" Cole nodded with a sigh.  
"Alright, that didn't help us," Bianca said suddenly and sat up. "Could you sense him?" she asked Leo. He shook his head.  
Bianca nodded, suddenly hit by an idea: "Ok. I'll go back to the park. I'll..."  
"WHAT?" the others exclaimed at the same time.  
"You can't go!" Cole remarked  
"It's too dangerous," Leo said.  
And Piper added: "You have to think about Hope, too. You're not alone."  
Bianca sighed: "But that's the point. She saved me! And I'm sure she will do it again."  
Piper looked at Leo who shrugged. Then she shook her head: "NO!"  
"But..."  
"No, you'll stay..." Piper said determined. "Maybe we'll use that option later, but now you'll stay... We have to find out more before we take such a risk."

°°°°°°°°°°

Chris and Michael were walking around in silence. It was only a small place around the carrousel, where they could go. And to leave that place was absolutely forbidden, as Michael had explained. It seemed that this time the two men were alone in that space.  
"How many witches are there, outside in the world... Do you know that?" Michael couldn't stop thinking about that topic.  
Chris smiled. Of course he knew the exact number, he was an Elder... But that was something he planned to keep as a secret. So he answered: "A lot... More then you think, of course."  
"And... do you have any kind of magical powers, or are you using spells, or..."  
Chris began to laugh. Even if he felt like shit, this laugh was really good, it helped him, it lightened his soul. "You're really curious about that witch-stuff, right?" he asked after he had calmed down a little.  
Michael blushed again. "Sorry," he muttered.  
"Never mind..." Chris said with a smile. "You know... Usually I shouldn't talk about that, but... here..."  
"So then better say nothing, 'cause I still hope to get out of here, with your help."  
Chris sighed: "I'm not sure if I can help... I mean... I have powers, yes... but they don't work here... They are unreal like me." Michael turned pale... well, if you could say that about a hologram. Chris felt sorry. He knew that the man hoped that he would get out of that place, that he was his hope. But should he lie?  
"Hey, don't worry. I have a big family out there... and a wife who will never stop searching for me. I'm sure they will find a way," Chris said then.  
Michael looked him in the eyes. And smiled. He knew that... he could see that, his new friend really believed that. 'So there was still hope,' Michael thought. He smiled: "But now you told me a lot about you..."  
Chris smiled again: "Well... for the worst case we have something called memory-dust." Michael frowned, unsure what to think about that; then nodded.  
The men moved on in silence, but then Michael stopped again.  
"What?" Chris asked.  
"You said your powers don't work here... but..."  
"But what?"  
"What if it's like the touching?" Michael tried to explain. "Like... that you couldn't beat the clown... or touch the trees... I told you; that's only a matter of habit... maybe you could find a way to use your powers again..."  
Chris frowned. But before he could answer, they both heard the crashing of wood. They turned around to the carrousel where a little cloud of smoke and dust was waving through the air.  
Both ran over to that place. When they reached it, Chris saw that there was a hole in the ceiling of the carrousel which was about to close itself.  
Also the ground of the carrousel was broken.  
Michael went a little closer. Then he put his hand down to that hole and seconds later he pulled another man out of it.  
"Jason?" he asked surprised and happy at the same time. The man was covered with dust, but Chris could see that he was also dressed as a bridegroom.  
"Hey, you know what?" Michael went on, "Jessica is free... she got out of here, she..."  
"I know," the man said.  
"You know?" Chris and Michael exclaimed at the same time. Meanwhile the carrousel was nearly completely repaired.  
Jason nodded: "I saw her when she was being taken away... and I tried to follow her..."  
"You've seen it?" Chris said.  
Now the man noticed him for the first time. He looked a little angry and went closer to Chris.  
"Yeah... what have you done to her," he yelled, and pushed Chris making him fall to the ground.  
"Hey," Michael held him back, "he's on our side... he..."  
"He's a witch... I heard his family talk about him... and they said this clown is a witch, too. And even one of his family tried to blow me up."  
Chris looked at the man with eyes wide open. Then he shook his head: "Surely they didn't know who you are!" Jason kept silent.  
Michael sighed: "Whatever, I'm sure he's on our side... And you trust me, don't you? So trust him, too, 'cause I do!"  
Jason freed himself from his grip and went away.  
Michael went over to Chris, offering him his hand to pull him up.  
Chris grinned: "I can't touch you."  
"Try," Michael said.  
Chris did, but it didn't work. His hand was floating through Michael's. He sighed: "As I said."  
"Try it again, come on. Try to concentrate. Forget what you're looking like, it's all in your head."  
Chris smiled weakly and tried it again. And this time, he could feel him, he could catch him.  
"Yeah," Michael said, and pulled him to his feet, "that was lesson one!"  
Chris smiled. Then he turned serious again: "I have to talk to that Jason... I have to know what he has seen... maybe that could answer some things."  
Michael sighed: "That will be a difficult task."  
Chris nodded.

°°°°°°°°°°

Paige looked at the young officer and frowned: "How come that you know so much about those dates, Mr. Turner?"  
He blushed: "Oh... please, call me Kyle... Well, it's ... it's just a kind of hobby... I'm reading a lot."  
"Oh, really?" Paige nodded and winked to Darryl.  
At the same moment they heard a voice from outside: "TURNER!"  
Kyle sighed: "Excuse me... I have to go." Then he went out and closed the door.  
"Who is that?" Paige asked Darryl as soon as the officer was gone.  
He smiled: "He is fresh from the academy... He should work with Mason... but he's more like his footboy, you know..."  
"Why isn't he working with you?" Paige asked with an innocent smile.  
Darryl laughed: "Because of that one big family which is always crossing my way and making my life more complicate!"  
Paige smiled: "I will tell that new information to the others... See you later."  
Then, she orbed away.

°°°°°°°°°°

Paige orbed directly to the attic, where the others were still discussing about that shadow. "Anything new?" Leo asked after she had materialised.  
"Yes," she said with a smile, "Mr. Turner!" At this, Cole looked up frowning.  
"Mr. Turner? I hope you're not talking about Cole..." her sister said. Paige shook her head and Cole relaxed. "So Who the hell is this Mr. Turner?" Piper asked.  
"An officer..." Paige explained, "he saw the files on Darryl's desk and noticed something about the dates, when the couples disappeared."  
"And?" Odin asked curious.  
"The Salem Trials... and other days on which witches died." Everyone was looking at her in disbelief. How could they all, even Odin and Leo, have forgotten about that?  
"So maybe that clown is a witch who wants to have a kind of revenge... But why those couples?" Piper asked after a moment of silence.  
Cole looked at Jessica, then suggested: "Maybe because there is one ancestor of them also involved in that witch-murder."  
Jessica looked shocked: "I... I don't..."  
"Don't worry, Jessica," Piper said. "Even if it had been so... that's not your fault."  
She nodded.  
"So... what are we going to do now?" Bianca asked impatient.  
"Find out who the clown is, what he wants exactly, and try to save everyone trapped in that place..." Piper answered tiredly.  
Paige narrowed her eyes, pensive: "Do you guys think that the clown knows Chris is a witch, then? I mean... Probably he doesn't... And that's why he took him too. Because if he's really trying to avenge his ancestors, Chris is definitely one of the goodies for him."  
Bianca stared at her, anxious. "Do you mean that if Chris tells him that he's a witch, he won't be in danger?" she asked.  
Jessica nodded, feeling that she started to understand all the stuff going on around her: "Maybe your husband could pretend to be on his side..."  
Odin, however, frowned not very convinced: "I wouldn't bet that the clown doesn't know who he is. Actually, Chris will have already tried to use his powers, don't you think so?" He shook his head as trying to convince himself that the others were wrong: "No... The clown, the witch-clown, knows for sure that Chris is a witch. And perhaps this endangers him more. He'll see him as a traitor."  
Bianca gasped for air, she felt her heart beating strongly, and the womb was hurting so much.  
Jessica and Paige ran towards her. "Are you ok, honey? Don't worry... Chris will be ok..."  
Piper gave a furious glare to Odin, who shrugged. He was there to help them with his knowledge, and to make sure that Chris himself was not the danger he thought he was. He couldn't just pay attention all the time to what he did or said.

°°°°°°°°°°

"Ok..." Phoebe sighed, "Peter had no active powers... He was a telepathic and had premonitions. I wonder what they got from him in that circus..."  
"He probably read the minds of the audience or something..." Nicki suggested. "But look at Jake... He was also a telepathic. It seems that when he got that fever he started to read the minds uncontrollably. This could have also driven him crazy..."  
Steve frowned: "He had also premonitions, Nicki... If all his powers were augmented when he had the fever, he probably saw many things he didn't want to see."  
"Did he keep those powers after the fever?" Phoebe asked, very interested.  
Steve shook his head: "No idea."  
"He probably did," Nicki answered, "you know, when we develop our powers, we keep them like that. The fever made him develop his enormously... That doesn't mean that the fever gave him the powers actually."  
"That makes sense," Steve replied.  
Phoebe nodded: "Did he only have those powers? Because he can't actually do all these things to these couples only with that... Believe me."  
"Well, actually..." Steve kept on reading, "it seems Jake had another power... He could canalise other witches' powers and reproduce them, but only for some minutes..."  
"Before or after the fever?" Nicki asked anxiously.  
"Before... I guess. This profile was made before."  
"So... this power can also have been developed?" Phoebe asked, starting to feel uneasy. Steve nodded slowly: "Yeah... And he might be able now to actually steal the powers, and keep them forever, why not..."  
"These are only theories and deductions, guys... We should try to do something else..." Nicki said worriedly.  
Phoebe nodded as she stood up and dusted her trousers: "She's right. I suggest going to find where Peter and Jake live now. If we find any of them, we might be able to discard them, or one of them, and we could get more information."  
"That's an idea..." Steve stood up too. "Maybe any of the Elders or teachers here was their friend or something and can help. And if not... We should try to find who can turn people into holograms, or something related to that, and sending people to other dimensions. If they met Jake in the past, maybe our theory is true, and Jake stole his powers, or copied them, or something."  
"Yeah," Phoebe nodded. "But first I should go home and tell the others about that! And who knows... maybe they have found something new by now!" The others nodded.  
"Tom is still at the manor, I think... I'll contact him." Steve said.  
Phoebe wanted to answer something, but just a second later Tom shimmered in. "You need a taxi?" he asked.  
Phoebe smiled. "I also could use the door..." she said looking at Steve, who shrugged. Then she took Tom's arm and he shimmered her to the attic.

°°°°°°°°°°

Chris looked at Jason and Michael. They were sitting under a tree. The latter was trying to calm his friend down and to make him talk to Chris, but it seemed he wasn't successful. Chris stood a few steps away. He couldn't understand what they were talking about, but Jason looked still angry. Then Michael stood up and went over to him, while Jason disappeared to wherever...  
And?" Chris asked.  
Michael shook his head: "He doesn't want to talk to you. But he told me about an orange light which was surrounding you and your girl and which touched Jessica."  
Chris raised his eyebrows in surprise. "So that wasn't me. I think... I think I would know if I produced such a light."  
"What about your girl?" Michael asked. "Is she a witch too?"  
Chris shook his head: "Not exactly."  
Michael frowned but before he could answer something he saw another person standing behind Chris. "Who is that?" he asked surprised.  
Chris turned around. And when he saw the person, his heart stopped beating for a second. He looked into the green eyes of an about five-year-old girl.  
"Chris?" Michael asked when he noticed the confused look of his new found friend. He was a little scared about that, whatever was going on at that moment.  
Chris was shocked, his mind was spinning. He talked a lot with Bianca about what he had seen in this cave. And he had already begun to believe that all this had been a dream... a dream because he had been so hurt, and so out of energy. But now...?  
Slowly he went over to that girl, his girl. He knelt down in front of her, looking her into the eyes.  
"Hope?" he asked with a little fear in his voice. The girl nodded.  
Michael watched that scene, a little confused about Chris's behaviour and curious, but with no idea what was going on there exactly.  
With a shivering hand Chris tried to touch her cheek. He could feel her, she was really there.  
"How can this be true?" he asked.  
"Don't worry Daddy," she said. She spoke to him. Chris couldn't believe that.  
Michael had heard the words too. Now he was completely confused. That couldn't be...  
"Are you ok, Daddy?" she asked.  
Chris had tears in his eyes, but smiled. "Yes I am... now I am."  
The little girl nodded. Then she went on talking: "Mommy is afraid. She thinks the clown could hurt you if he finds out who you really are."  
Chris was speechless for a moment. That was all so unbelievable, so amazing. Then he asked: "Is Mommy ok? Did the clown hurt her?"  
Hope shook her head: "She's alright Daddy."  
Chris sighed relieved.  
"I have to go now," Hope said with a sad smile. "And don't be angry because I wanted to play with that girl..." she said and looked down.  
Chris frowned, but then he understood: "So you freed that girl?" She nodded.  
A tear ran over his cheek, but Chris still smiled and kissed her forehead: "No I'm not angry, my sweetie... I love you and I'm very proud of you."  
Suddenly Hope hugged him tightly with her little arms. "I love you too, Daddy," she said; then she disappeared with an orange light.  
Chris sat down on the grass, his face hidden in his hands, crying in silence.  
Michael walked slowly over to him "What was that?" he asked when he reached him.  
Chris dried his tears and stood up. "My daughter," he said.  
"Yeah, I heard that, but... is she trapped here, too?"  
Chris smiled weakly: "No... believe me, I have no idea how this was possible, but she can't be... My wife has been pregnant only for three months... and that girl isn't even born yet!"

_

* * *

(Chapter 6 written by Belén and Chrissy.W.x)_


	7. Chapter 7

**A Charmed Story - Part Five:  
20 Weddings And A Funeral?  
Chapter 7**

When Phoebe and Tom arrived, there was no time to say anything. Everyone seemed to be in a hurry. At first, they were a little confused about all the action. But then they realised what was wrong. Bianca was lying on the sofa, unconscious. Leo was trying to heal her, but it didn't work, as it seemed.  
"What's going on here?" Phoebe asked Jessica, who was still sitting on the chair, trying not to disturb anyone.  
"She was yelling and then touching her womb, and then she broke down," the young woman explained. Phoebe nodded.  
"She is waking up!" they heard Cole's excited voice. Phoebe turned around and saw how Bianca slowly sat up.  
"Are you ok?" Piper asked caressing her cheek.  
She nodded and frowned. And then she looked up, her eyes a little scared: "He's alright," she said.  
"What?" Odin asked.  
"Chris is alright!" she repeated. "Hope knows he is, she told me."  
"What?" Phoebe's and Paige's mouths opened widely in disbelief. Jessica frowned, unable to understand what she meant, and Piper sat by Bianca's side, who was being held by her other arm by Cole.  
"Sweetie, you may have had a nightmare or a hallucination... Are you ok? You should go to the doctor..." she knew that that pain in the womb wasn't good. Piper was a mother and knew how dangerous things like that could be.  
But Bianca shook her head. "I'm ok, Piper... And it's true, she talked to me..." she said, touching her womb as she tried to stand up with the help of Cole, who looked at the others unsure of what to believe. "She said to Chris that he shouldn't tell the clown who he really is... She's helping, she can do that." Suddenly Bianca realised the alarming look of Leo, but it was too late.  
Odin had approached the girl attempting to control his agitation. "Do you mean she can do those things? From the womb!" He was really scared. "Is this the first time? Or has she done something like this before?" The Elder tried to touch Bianca's womb, but Cole held his hand strongly, since he had noticed Leo's look.  
"Leo, you knew that! And you didn't tell us!" he cried, turning to his Elder-fellow in anger.  
"Why should I?" Leo asked in a very cold tone.  
"What the hell is going on here?" Phoebe exclaimed, lost and worried.  
Paige seconded her. "Guys, we should focus here... Whatever Hope has done, it's good, and it's helping. But Chris is somewhere out there, in a freaky dimension, together with a group of human beings who are waiting to be rescued, so, if you don't mind... Can we try to find them all first, and then you two," and she pointed to Odin and Leo, "can discuss your differences?"  
Piper nodded, staring at a very scared Bianca and Jessica. "Paige is right. Let's focus, ok? Something new?" she asked turning to Phoebe.  
Tom was still by the empath's side, and looked at her as interested as the others.  
"Well, actually... I wanted to ask the same. Who starts?"  
They all looked at each other, except Leo and Odin, who still held their glares, furious and worried.

°°°°°°°°°°

Nicki and Steve walked through the school. They were searching for Mr. Smith. 'What a stupid name,' Steve thought. He was the caretaker of the school. The Charmed Ones had been really surprised when they heard of him the first time. They couldn't believe that there WAS one for THAT school.  
Anyway, Mr. Smith was an ex-demon. Not like Cole, of course. He was still looking like one. But he had no powers. That makes now... 50 years ago since he lost them. That's why he worked there. He wasn't allowed to leave that place. But even if he could, he wouldn't do it. He liked the school. And it was an easy job. That's why usually he slept most of the day.  
"Do you think he knows something?" Nicki asked.  
Steve put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a kiss on her cheek. "If someone knows, than it's him," he said. Nicki nodded.  
They stopped in front of a small door and knocked. Nothing happened. They knocked again. Nothing.  
"What do you want?" they heard a voice behind them.  
Steve and Nicki turned around. There he was, Mr. Smith. A demonic guy armed with broom and pail. Nicki couldn't help grinning.  
"So?" he asked again.  
"Well," Steve began to explain, "The Charmed Ones asked us to do a little research about two former students of this school. And we thought - because you seem to know a lot about what's going on here - that you maybe know them and can tell us something about them."  
Mr. Smith smiled widely. He felt flattered and cajoled of being asked. So he grinned and asked them to come into his room and sit down. The young teachers nodded and went in.  
It was a nice little room, really well decorated. Much more homelike than they had thought.  
Mr. Smith offered them a cup of tea and some cookies, which they took thankful. Then the ex-demon sat down, same as Nicki and Steve, and looked at the others questioningly.  
"We're trying to find out something about two students..." Nicki started.  
Mr. Smith grinned: "Yeah, you already mentioned that!" Steve giggled.  
"Do you know something about Peter Anderson and Jake Flanty?"  
The ex-demon frowned, thinking hard. Then he nodded: "Yeah, Peter Anderson... He was a really nice guy. A bit crazy when he came here. But after he had settled down here, and found some friends he became a very nice boy. But then, there was one day where they had to make some potions in the laboratory. Something went wrong and one of his friends got hurt very badly. Well... it was no problem, Gideon healed him, but... I think Peter wasn't able to live with that whole being-a-witch thing. He bound his powers at the same day on his own. Short after that, he left the school."  
Steve and Nicki just nodded. 'So... if his powers are still bound, it couldn't be him,' she thought.  
"And what about Jake Flanty?" Steve asked.  
"Well..." Mr. Smith went on while trying to sit more comfortable, "he was a very talented witch. Not that powerful, but he could copy powers and whenever he tried, he was able to handle those powers perfectly well. Actually, I don't know what happened to him. He was ill... Nobody knew from what exactly, but I believe it was bad root-weed from the witch-florescence... A kind of magical dope, you know." He grinned widely.  
Steve grinned, too. Not that he had tried it, but he knew Tom had. But, as his friend had told him, it had been horrifying and he never wanted to do it again...  
"Anyway, after that he wasn't the same," the caretaker went on, "he was always jumpy, always panicking... And always talking about clowns... Then he left the school... I'm not sure if he took the exam..."  
'So it seems he's the one we're looking for,' Steve thought.  
"Do you know where he is now?" Nicki asked.  
Mr. Smith shook his head: "The last thing I heard was that he wanted to buy a carrousel. But that was a lot of years ago."  
The young teachers looked at each other. Then, they jumped up.  
"Thanks a lot," Nicki said, "for the tea and the wonderful cookies."  
"Yeah, and for all the information," Steve added," we have to tell this to the sisters immediately." They quickly said goodbye and went to the magical door.

°°°°°°°°°°

Michael was sitting against a tree, frowning, still trying to understand all that weird story. "Man, really, you're a box full of surprises... So you mean that witches have powers even before they're born? But that's great!" The young man was so excited that he had forgotten where they were and all their problems, but Chris shook his head slowly.  
"No, actually I... I didn't have any powers at all before being born. It even took me some years to develop them... But it seems that my daughter is very powerful..." he murmured, unable to hide his worries.  
"Hey..." Michael mumbled, kneeling by his side and touching his shoulder, "that's something good, isn't it? After all, she has just warned you not to say who you are, and all... She'll be able to do great things."  
Chris was impressed by the simple way of thinking and reasoning of the man, as well as by his ease to accept everything as it came. It was hard to believe that he had been so long there, lost, and hadn't gone nuts. He was so positive... But Chris couldn't stop worrying, after all, he...  
"I have tried to use my powers, and the clown has seen me, right when I came here! He knows who I am... The warning message arrived too late..." Chris looked in Michael's eyes, which were frowning again.  
"Oh..." he murmured, "that's not so good, I guess..."  
Both men held their looks, silently, thoughtfully, for a while, until Chris sighed resigned, and leaned his head against the tree. 'Hope,' he thought... That was what he really needed at that time. A little bit of hope. Because everything was so dark around him...

°°°°°°°°°°

"And that's it!" Phoebe finished, grinning of satisfaction because she felt they had discovered important things.  
"Interesting..." Paige muttered, pensive. "So we have the guy who was kidnapped by the staff of a circus, but we also have this other boy who had that fever and all, and talked about the Salem trials?"  
"And we've got the dates of the trials... All the disappeared people were going to marry on those dates," followed Piper.  
Tom, who had been silent most of the time, intervened: "Do you guys think that he chose these couples because they married at those dates, or is it really possible that they had also ancestors related to the trials?"  
"Hmmm... Actually, that would be much of a coincidence..." Paige said again, "but we've seen more strange things than that."  
"So..." Leo said, standing up and approaching Odin slowly, placing himself in the middle between the Elder and Bianca, to hide the girl from the trajectory of Odin's look. "Maybe you could help. Wasn't that what you wanted to do?" he asked in a cold tone. "After all, you have been an Elder longer than me... Do you know those boys?"  
Odin turned his eyes towards Leo's, slowly: "Maybe... But you know well that there are a lot of boys in that school. It's impossible to remember all of them..."  
"I wouldn't forget those two stories, if I knew them," Cole said, noticing the tension, and feeling that something was wrong with Odin. Seeing Leo's worried look, he was afraid that something bad was going to happen to someone in the family.  
Then, Odin opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment, the magic door to the magic school shrieked, and Nicki and Steve went upstairs quickly.  
"We've got news..." they said.  
"Hey..." Phoebe said suddenly, "you didn't tell me your part yet. Is there something interesting? Something related to all this?" All the faces turned to look at her.  
Bianca was still sitting on the sofa, very pale, and Jessica was holding her hand. Both women had been silent all the time, so now, no one noticed that Jessica had stood up and gone to the window.  
"Where are you going?" Bianca asked feebly.  
No response.  
Meanwhile, Piper had started to tell Phoebe a short version of the story of the shadow, Jessica's bridegroom.  
"Is it me or it's getting foggy?" Paige asked suddenly.  
Steve and Nicki, the only ones facing the window, looked at it and saw Jessica looking through it. "Hey, Piper... did you by any chance mention a shadow?" Nicki asked. Then she pointed at the window: "Because it's not the fog that is hiding the sun..."  
Steve chuckled, realising what she meant. "I guess it's Jessica's bridegroom."  
All heads turned around, facing that shadow which again surrounded the girl.  
Suddenly Bianca felt something inside her, inside her womb. She touched it frowning.  
Piper went over to her. "Everything alright?"  
Leo noticed that. He feared what could happen next, so he grasped Odin's arm. "I think we should ask the other Elders about that!" he said shortly. Odin wanted to answer something, but Leo orbed them both to the Elderworld.  
"What was...?" Phoebe wanted to ask, confused about Leo, but then she noticed an orange light which grew up around the womb of Bianca.  
Piper went a step backwards, surprised and a little shocked. She thought Bianca would be panicking about that, but she didn't.  
Instead the Phoenix stood up slowly, while the light got bigger and brighter and was about to surround her completely.  
"What the hell is going on here?" Nicki asked with fear. Steve hugged her but he was also afraid about what would happen next.  
Cole grasped Phoebe's hand and pressed it a little. She looked at him smiling: "Don't worry. I think something wonderful is going on here, I can feel it." He smiled back and nodded.  
Bianca went slowly over to Jessica and that shadow. She didn't feel fear, not about him, not about the light. It was a warm light, and she could feel the presence of her daughter. She could feel her love.  
And when she was close enough, it was as if the light around her reached out to that shadow. Suddenly everything was lightened for a second, so everyone had to close their eyes. Then they heard a yell. Jessica's yell.  
Piper opened her eyes, her hands up, ready to face a demon or whatever... But Phoebe held her back. "Look," she said, pointing at the girl.  
She was still standing at the window. Bianca stood next to her, looking a little tired but smiled. Jessica smiled, too. She smiled while she was embracing her bridegroom!  
"Oh my God, " Tom muttered.  
Jason was still a little transparent but he turned more and more real by every second... Same as Jessica did before.  
Cole went over to Bianca and helped her sit down again.  
"Wow," Paige said shaking her head, "now I believe that Hope can really do such things..."

°°°°°°°°°°

Chris was still thinking about Hope... his girl. He smiled again. She was so amazing. He still thought about her words... That he should be careful.  
Michael sighed: "Well... Can I ask another question?"  
Chris nodded: "Ask whatever you want."  
"So... How can your daughter be more powerful than you?"  
Chris frowned: "What do you mean?"  
"Well you said you had to develop your powers after you had been born, and she is already powerful before she is born," he explained, "so she must be more powerful than you, right? But I thought that if you passed the witch-thing on to her, she can't be more powerful than you... Or could she?... Or is her mother...?"  
Chris stopped him with a gesture. Then he sighed: "That's a really complicated story."  
Michael raised his eyebrows: "So there is something about you, that...?"  
Chris nodded before he ended his question: "But swear to me, to keep that secret, ok?" He looked at him begging. Then he went on: "Because now I think, that's what my daughter meant." Michael nodded.  
"But anyway..." Chris went on, "my brother is more powerful than my mum and my dad together... There is no rule for that power-thing..." He grinned first; then he began to laugh.  
Michael laughed too. Even if he didn't understand everything, he liked that guy more and more, minute by minute. And that moment he wished, they could stay friends even when this was over.  
Then, suddenly, they heard another person laughing... But it was an evil laugh. And there he stood in front of them, the clown!  
Chris noticed the fear in Michael's eyes. He himself felt not that good, either.  
The clown went a little closer and put Michael up to his feet. "Need you," he muttered. Then Michael disappeared to wherever. Chris frowned. That disappearing looked a little like shimmering.  
Then the clown turned to the Elder-witch. "And now to you," he said, pulling Chris up, too. "What have they done? Your friends? How did they steal another one of my holograms?" he asked angry.  
Chris shrugged: "How could I know? Remember? You've trapped my here!"  
The clown glanced at him very angry; then he threw him about 20 meters through the air right back into that old carrousel. Chris crashed into a demon-figure. His back hurt a lot, but he didn't want to let the clown see his pain. So he got back on his feet, when his enemy reached him. Again he grasped him by his neck. "Pray that they stop it or I swear you'll pay for that," he whispered to his ear. Then he threw him back to the middle of the carrousel and disappeared.  
Chris coughed. "Great," he mumbled. He felt that his arm was broken. He thought about healing himself, but he didn't dare. He wasn't sure if he was being watched by the clown in some way. And to let him know that he was also an Elder, was the last thing Chris wanted that moment.  
So he sat up and leaned his back at the wood of the carrousel and closed his eyes. Now he was alone.

°°°°°°°°°°

All the people in the attic were staring at the couple speechless, feeling all their happiness and love. Phoebe let some tears out, and soon she started to weep silently. Cole smiled lovingly at her and pressed her hand in his. The empath was feeling now exactly the same as those two lovers, who were still embraced and kissing each other, their tears mixing as their cheeks came into contact.  
Piper was also smiling, as well as Paige, and Bianca did the same, but hers was a sad smile, because Chris wasn't there. Steve and Nicki observed them too, hugging each other, in silence. Tom, behind all of them, was trying to hide his face, which was covered with tears. He wasn't an empath so why the hell was he crying? Was he a baby? That feeling really bothered him, man!  
After a while that everyone in the room respected, Jason turned to them and took the word, since Jessica was so moved that she was unable to say anything.  
"What do you guys want of us?" he asked not so confident as he had wished.  
"What?" the three sisters exclaimed at once. Tom looked at him in disbelief, and Bianca frowned, feeling her own anger inside.  
"Jason..." Jessica whispered in a warning tone.  
Cole stepped towards the man: "Hey buddy... What do you think we want? We have just saved you and your girlfriend..."  
"You're witches..." Jason persisted, stepping backwards.  
Jessica, pressed his hand and made him look in her eyes: "Love, they are good witches. They have saved us! If you don't trust them at least trust me..."  
Everyone kept silent, expectant, and Jason seemed to reconsider his attitude but said nothing, so the girl followed: "Sweetie, they saved us... And one of them is now trapped because of that. They've lost one of their relatives just to save us!"  
Jason swallowed and turned to look at the others in the room: "You mean Chris, don't you?"  
Bianca felt her heart jump of joy and fear at the same time. "Have you seen him? Have you talked to him? Is he alright?" she asked, approaching him.  
Jason looked at Jessica in search for help. "She's his wife, honey... They're waiting for a baby..." she smiled sweetly at her bridegroom.  
"Well, actually I... I didn't talk much with him. He wanted to talk, but I thought he was on the clown's side..." Then he turned to his bride again: "I saw how they took you, honey... I thought he had done something bad to you."  
"Chris would have never hurt anyone!" Bianca cried in despair.  
Paige rushed to hold her, as Phoebe let Cole embrace her. Piper shook her head. "It's ok, we understand... But now, we need your help... Jason. Please... Chris is my..." she nearly let slip the truth but could stop herself. "He's my family. We want him back as much as you wanted to be with Jessica. We're gonna release all the couples too. But we need your help. So tell us, where is he? How can we find him? Does the clown know anything?"  
Jason seemed to be overwhelmed by so many questions. He shrugged, speechless.  
"Ok..." Tom said, "give the guy some time. Sit down, Jason... Maybe you want some coffee? and Jessica? I can bring them all for you... Sit down, and relax, and be ready to speak in a while." He grinned, and shimmered downstairs.  
Suddenly, Jason stiffened and turned paler: "What has he just done?"  
Paige sighed, as she helped Bianca to a seat: "That's a long story, but it's called shimmering, something that only bad guys do, but not in this family and among its friends, and..."  
She was cut off by Jason again: "That's what the clown does. That's exactly what he does."  
Every face turned to look at him shocked, and Steve and Nicki's the most shocked of all. They realised that they hadn't told them about their own discoveries yet...  
But Jessica, at that moment, asked the only thing they hadn't asked yet: "Is that the same thing you did? That... shadow? How did you make it, Jason?" she asked, still embracing her love.  
Jason looked at her, not knowing what to answer. Then he shook his head: "I don't know, really, I've no idea... I just saw how that light flashed you and how you disappeared with them with those blue lights. From that second on all I thought is that I needed to find you. I was so scared that you could be hurt."  
The others looked at him with a feeling of pity. They could hear the fear in his voice. There was a lot of fear.  
Phoebe sighed and went over to him. She sat down next to him and took his hand, looking him into the eyes. "You're safe here," she whispered, "both of you. Whatever happens, we will protect you." He nodded weakly.  
That moment, Tom returned, shimmering. Jason looked a little more scared again.  
"Tom," sighed Phoebe, "couldn't you use the stairs?"  
"Why should I?" he answered.  
"Because we have a guest who is not used to that shimmering... even not from a gooddie as you are."  
Jason smiled again, hearing these words. That witch, who really seemed to care, was educating that boy who was doing that evil disappearing-thing... She wouldn't do it that way, if he really was a danger. "So, what is that shimmering?" he asked still with fear and unsureness, but a lot calmer now.  
"Well..." Tom wasn't sure about what to answer but then he saw Phoebe and also Bianca nodding, "Shimmering is a way to move from one place to another. Just a bit like the beaming in Star Trek." Jason frowned.  
"But we do it on our own, we don't need any equipment," Bianca added.  
Jason looked at her: "You... you can do that, too?"  
Bianca nodded: "I'm a Phoenix, and Tom is half-Phoenix and half-witch."  
Jason swallowed, but feeling the head of his bride lying on his chest and noticing the hand of that other witch who seemed to understand him so well, made him still feel comfortable in a way.  
"You don't have to be afraid of them," Phoebe said, "deep down inside their hearts they are good people even if their blood is from a different kind from yours."  
"Here," Tom said and handed him a cup of tea, "first I wanted to make coffee, but then I thought Piper's special-tea is much more useful in this situation."  
Paige frowned, looking at the oldest sister: "You told him how to make your special-calm-down-everyone-tea... and not me?"  
Piper shrugged: "I didn't show him, I did it a few times for him, and you know how fast he learns such things." Paige smiled nodding.  
Jason took the tea thankful and drank it. It was very sweet and made him feel a little better.  
"So, can you tell me more about my husband?" Bianca asked impatient.  
Jason looked at his bride who nodded, then he said: "Not really. As I said, I thought he was my enemy... so... But Michael wanted me to talk to him, he told me that he was a friend, even if I couldn't believe that. He told me that he was a good witch, and that he... I mean Michael hopes that the family of this witch would help us all to get out." And then he added muttering: "Also, I couldn't believe that."  
"Is that all?" Cole asked with a sigh.  
"Well... Michael told me that the clown was angry against him, because he freed Jessica somehow... I think now he will be a lot angrier, because you freed me too." He lowered his eyes, not sure what else to say or to do.  
"Who is that Michael?" Piper asked.  
But before Jason could answer, Odin and Leo returned, making the bridegroom jump up again.  
"Don't worry," Piper said, "that was orbing, that's what the good guys usually do, if they can." She went over to Leo and kissed him. "Everything alright?" she whispered to his ear.  
"For the moment," he answered quietly. Then he looked at Odin, whose eyes were focused on Bianca and that new guest. Then he rose an eyebrow and was about to start to speak, but Leo interrupted him.  
"We talked to the others... And they said that this witch, Peter, had given up his powers long ago..." he explained, "and Jake left the school before his exam. That all we could find it out because Jake did something to his whitelighter to keep him away."  
Odin was looking at Leo, and then looking at the man again. He frowned, then said: "Leo I think there are some things we..."  
"No!" Leo exclaimed. "As Paige said before, there are more important things than that. And I promise to you, if you dare to do anything... you will pity it!" Piper frowned about the words of her husband. Looking at Odin she thought he was a little afraid... maybe because of Leo's words? Or of something else?  
The others didn't pay attention to that short interaction. Nicki and Steve had stepped forward: "Well, I think we found out a little more."  
"So, what is it?" Paige asked.  
Then the young couple began to explain what Mr. Smith had told them.

°°°°°°°°°°

Chris was still sitting in the middle of the carrousel. He didn't know how much time had passed since the clown was gone. Even if it felt like nothing, he was sure it must have been about an hour or more... Or had it just been a few moments... He shook his head. Michael was right, he had already lost his sense of time.  
He sighed looking around. There was nothing else than a few trees and behind them a lot more. Michael told him not to go there, or the clown would hurt him. The forest was so dark that he couldn't say what was behind, even if he could see the roofs of some of the rides.  
Chris was thinking about what he could do by now. 'He already knows that I'm a witch,' he thought, 'so why not trying to use my witch-powers?' He got up slowly. His back hurt, his arm much more. He went out of the carrousel seeking for a branch or something, something he could try to move with his mind.  
After he walked around a little he found a little stone in front of his feet. He smiled, then sighed. Then he tried to move it, but it didn't work. "Damned!" he yelled furious. 'This situation sucks,' he thought.  
At that very moment Michael returned. "Hey," he said, "what are you doing?" He went a little closer and asked: "Are you ok.?"  
Chris smiled weakly: "Not really."  
Michael noticed the way he was holding his arm. He put out his tie and used it as a noose to stabilise it.  
"Thanks," Chris said and then asked, "what are you doing here?"  
Michael grinned: "I ran away... I should be now in the ghost-train scaring little kids, but I wanted to know if you were alright. That's why I came back."  
"So you'd better return," Chris said, "I'm not sure, but I think he's watching me. At least, after my friends freed Jason, as it seems."  
Michael looked surprised. He wanted to add something but they heard another voice.  
"TOO LATE!" the clown yelled angry. The two men turned around facing that guy with his evil smile. But he wasn't alone.

_

* * *

(Chapter 7 written by Chrissy.W.x and Belén)_


	8. Chapter 8

**A Charmed Story - Part Five:  
20 Weddings And A Funeral?  
Chapter 8**

Steve had just ended his report when Phoebe's mobilephone rang. "Excuse me," she said and walked a little aside.  
"Yeah?" she answered the call.  
"Phoebe, it's me... Darryl" she heard from the other side of the line.  
"Hey Darryl, what's up?" she said.  
Piper and Paige looked up after hearing his name. Also Cole turned his attention to his girl, while Leo was still focused on Odin.  
"What?" Phoebe yelled suddenly. Everyone looked alarmed at her. But she went on talking: "Yeah... I'll tell them... Thanks, Darryl... Bye." Then, she hung up.  
"What's going on?" Bianca asked.  
Phoebe sighed, she looked a little pale: "Darryl got another case just a few minutes ago. A young couple just vanished in their wedding-ceremony."

°°°°°°°°°°

Chris placed himself in front of his friend instinctively, and glared at the clown.  
"Don't you have enough toys already?" he asked, pointing to the terrified couple that he was keeping by his enemy's side, with a gesture of his head.  
The clown smirked evilly: "There was a void in my collection... and there's still one, thanks to you. But that's a tiny problem. Now... THIS is the day. And with or without them, I'm gonna fulfil my plans. And YOU, little witch... you will have the honorific place."  
Michael could perceive the fear that Chris intended to hide, and tried to gain him some time: "The day? What do you mean by 'the day'?"  
The clown pushed the new couple forward, and they fell down on their knees. The girl was crying, and the man tried to help her, but his hands couldn't touch her. Both of them were in so much fear!  
"Don't you know? I can't believe it... You bastard humans, who chose such sacred days to get married... And you don't even know about the events that took place those days?"  
Chris frowned, as he saw Michael rushing to help the new comers. "What the hell are you talking about?"  
The clown almost got nuts by this question: "And you of all the people! You, one of my kind! Only a dirty traitor... You should honour and respect those dates more than anyone on earth, you should be by my side, consecrating this moment... But you chose to help the profanes! The pagans! These simple and weak rats!"  
Chris saw the movement the clown was making with his wrist, and tried to stop him, but his powers didn't work this time either, and he had to see how Michael flew through the air and into a tree, unable to stop him. Then, with another movement of the clown. Michael flew back again and crashed into the grass next to the carrousel.  
"Our ancestors... Yours and mine! They were all sacrificed on those dates! You should know!"  
"I don't even know the dates!" cried Chris, who had ran towards his friend and knelt by his side. "Stop this foolishness at once, damn it! If you're angry a me, ok. But these people haven't done anything to you!"  
The clown smirked: "Oh, don't worry about that. The best seat is reserved for traitors. You have betrayed your people. They will be happy to have you sacrificed on the altar."  
Chris's heart started to beat strongly. All the sounds resounded in his head. The music of the carrousel, Michael's moans, the couple's crying of fear, and the clown's voice.  
"Today will be a great day... A good day to die." The clown continued, half-smiling at Chris as he advanced on his direction...  
"What happened today?" asked the young Elder-witch in a low voice, trembling.  
"TODAY..." he followed, "today is the day in which one of the most powerful witches on Earth was sacrificed, to calm the wroth of his fellow-witches. Today, the revenge was fulfilled."  
"You are delirious... Nothing happened today."  
The clown was still smirking. He was by his side now, and suddenly, took him by is neck: "You're wrong. Everyone will always remember this day as the day in which Christopher Perry Halliwell died." He smirked.  
Chris tried to get loose, but his claws grasped his throat strongly. Everything started to spin around him. The music of the carrousel... Bianca said she knew it. She knew the music...

°°°°°°°°°°

Bianca fell on her knees. "Chris..." she gasped. Everyone was still looking at Phoebe with surprise, but now all the faces turned to Bianca.  
"Chris, oh my God... The music..." she was in so much pain, holding her womb, and apparently in a trance. She might be having a vision.  
"I remember the music... From the future. When Chris left for the past..." she tried to explain in spite of her pain, "the carrousel was near our home. This music always on... The owner said... The owner said it was to commemorate the day in which the ultimate sacrifice was offered, for the souls of those witches so unfairly killed in the past... The victim was a traitor to them, he used to say... He was a powerful witch, and he died..."  
All the people in the room looked surprised at her.  
"I don't understand..." Piper murmured, "what the hell..."  
Cole and Leo helped Bianca on her feet. She was sweating, but the pain was gone: "I think the sacrifice was Chris... And that is going to happen now."  
"But we changed the future!" Paige exclaimed, completely lost.  
Bianca nodded: "Yes... And we know that Chris is alive in the future, and that this won't happen anymore... But that doesn't mean that these events wouldn't take place. This means that this time, we'll be able to solve it, to save Chris, and kill the clown."  
"Well... But we know Chris is right, don't we? In the future, I mean..." intervened Tom, worried.  
"But the future always can change..." Leo remarked.  
Piper shook her head: "Wyatt would have come to save him again. Everything's alright."  
"Actually..." Odin said, "no one can come anymore. We closed the portals. Time travelling is too dangerous, you know... So if Wyatt doesn't come, it's just because he can't."  
"What!" all in the room exclaimed, except Leo, who lowered his eyes.

°°°°°°°°°°

"You are dead in the future, you know? I saw that... I also liked travelling on time." The clown smirked, as he saw Chris choking, and his arm hurting. "I had seen WHO was the sacrifice, and why... I needed to find you, but I didn't guess you would find me before. It seems that destiny exists after all. You came all alone towards your fate. Welcome, Christopher."  
Then, the clown had let go off of Chris. "We still need to let a little more time pass... Anyway, you can't run away from your destiny!" he had said and began to walk away slowly.  
"You will never kill me." Chris replied still gasping for air. The clown just laughed.  
Chris didn't know why, but he was sure that he would not die, not this time. He had gone through so much the past days... In a way, he knew he would get through this too. And with this feeling of hope, his mind turned clear again. The music stopped, he just cut it out of his head. And he calmed down and focused again. He focused on Michael who was still lying there, next to Chris, moaning in pain.  
"Hold on, ok?" he whispered, "I'll help you as soon as possible." Michael nodded weakly.  
Chris closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he stood up. Slowly, he turned around.  
He stared at the clown; then he repeated very loud: "YOU... WILL NEVER... KILL ME!" And then he raised his hand and made the clown fly about ten meters through the air, before he crashed down, back on the ground. Chris grinned. Even if he had hoped it, he couldn't believe that his powers would be working this time.  
The clown just mumbled some swearing, then he disappeared.  
Chris turned back to Michael: "Hold on!" His friend looked pale.  
Then, the witch turned around again. "Hey, you two!" Chris yelled to the other couple. "Come over here, he needs your help!"  
The man was sitting next to his crying bride. He looked at Chris with fear, but he didn't move.  
"Damn!" Chris yelled again. "If you want to get out of here you should trust me... So come over here!"  
Now the woman looked at her bridegroom. Then she stood up slowly, and he followed her. 'Women are always the bravest,' Chris thought smiling.  
When the couple reached him, Chris told them to sit around Michael as close as possible. "I just don't want the clown to see what I'm doing... and you swear by your life, that you will never tell him." Both nodded.  
Then, Chris turned to Michael who was looking at his friend with fear. "Sorry if I help myself first," he said to him, "but I'm not sure yet if it will work, and I don't want to kill you." Michael nodded.  
Chris nodded, too. He moved his hand over his broken arm and took a deep breath again. Then it happened. The warm golden light appeared and his arm was healed within a few seconds.  
Chris didn't know why he could actually heal himself, even if it needed a lot of energy. Usually Elders couldn't do that. But usually Elders were dead and therefore their wounds (except those from Darklighter-arrows) healed very quickly on their own. But Chris wasn't dead yet, so maybe that was a kind of compensation.  
After it was done, Chris moved both of his hands over the body of his friend.  
Michael was scared at first, but then he could feel that his wounds stopped hurting. He noticed that this young man was healing him. "Thanks," he whispered after it was finished.  
Chris just nodded. He felt tired. The healing was more exhausting here, at this place.  
"So that's your little secret?" Michael asked and wanted to sit up.  
But Chris held him down. "Better not letting him know," he explained. His friend nodded. Then Chris turned to the other two: "You'd better take a seat not so close to us... and don't dare to speak about what you've seen!" Both nodded and got up.  
Chris sat down next to Michael and looked at him smiling. "What?" the man asked.  
"Well... that healing thing... it's not all... it's not the complete secret."  
Michael looked at him astonished: "Is there more? More than that?" Chris nodded. "But why are you telling me all this? Didn't you say that witches don't talk about those things to those who are not?"  
Chris was still smiling and nodded: "Yeah, but... there is one kind of the 'non-magical-human-beings' who stay out of this rule..." He made a short break looking around. Then he looked to Michael again and added: "Friends!"

°°°°°°°°°°

"We closed all portals through the time. Leo and Chris knew that," Odin said, "they knew it's too dangerous to leave them open."  
Piper looked desperate at her husband: "How could you..." Her voice broke and she began to cry.  
"But... we don't..." Bianca started to speak very serious. But when she saw the icy look of her father-in-law she shut up.  
"Alright," Cole said desperate and a little furious, "we still have a war to win! Right? So stop those fights and focus, ok?"  
Phoebe nodded: "Yeah, we have to find him... him and those innocent couples." Then she turned to Jessica and Jason: "You two have to tell us everything, alright? Everything, you know!" Both nodded.  
"Ok, it's time for teams again," Nicki said. "Odin, can you take me and Steve back to school...? We could do some more research there. I had an idea about the holograms, but I'll need some Elder-help," she explained.  
"But couldn't Leo..." he asked? He was not willing to leave that place of action, not with that powerful unborn baby.  
"No," Leo exclaimed, "after your nice words I'm sure you'll understand that I have to stay now."  
Odin narrowed his eyes, then he orbed with Nicki and Steve to the school.  
Now Phoebe wanted to form another group, but she was interrupted before she could start to speak.  
"Leo, what is it? Chris and Wyatt never used a usual time-portal!" Bianca said with a serious voice looking at the Elder.  
Piper's eyes where jumping from Bianca to her husband. "Leo?" she asked.  
He sighed: "I know. And yes, that way, Wyatt is still able to come here..."  
"But... you... Odin said..." Piper was completely confused.  
Leo went over to her, and hugged her tightly: "I know what he said. Look... the Elders never knew how Chris came here... or Wyatt... And even if they would... they are not able to stop THAT magic... 'Cause that's nothing controllable... It's inside them... They can't stop them casting a spell like that... even if they ripped the page out of the book... they would create a new one!"  
"Oh God," Piper muttered and let herself fall down in his arms. "So that means we will find a way... there is still a chance?"  
"There is always a chance!" Bianca said. After all the time she felt weak, all the time she just wanted to cry, because of her pregnancy... Now she felt really strong. Strong and good, and powerful again. She was able to fight and she was going to fight... for the one she loved.  
"Alright," Phoebe finally managed to break in, "me and Leo will go down with the couple and try to get a view on our battlefield... Maybe we could use my empathy so that I can see what they have seen..." Then she pointed at her sisters and Bianca: "And you go and mix some potions... even if that clown is a witch, we have to stop him!"

°°°°°°°°°°

Seconds later, all of them were submerged in their own activities frantically. Piper was in the kitchen, surveying the ingredients they had in the cupboards, while Bianca was taking a look on the book, in the attempt to find some interesting spell to defeat witches. Paige had orbed to the school to see if she could find another useful recipe for a potion.  
"I don't think this helps, Piper. I mean, all the book is based on demon-hunting activities, we're talking about a witch now... There's nothing useful here.  
"Well, just look in the index, remember there's one! I know there must be some potion to, at least, hurt witches. Once, a demon used it against Phoebe, you know?"  
Bianca raised her eyes at her, astonished: "Really? How did you save her?"  
Piper turned to her: "It was hard... But now, look, please. I'm also trying to remember the ingredients that we could get out of that potion, and see if we have them here."  
Bianca nodded, going back to her search. After some minutes of silence and concentration, she said again: "Maybe we could use some spell to steal his powers or something..."  
Piper kept pensive: "Yeah... Actually there's one... to reverse the powers... Well, look. His powers, as it seems, are precisely those of stealing powers. Maybe we could exchange ours with his, and then get his powers - our powers."  
Bianca frowned, not sure of having got the point. "You mean... You'll get his powers?"  
Piper nodded: "And I'll give him mine. But then I'll use his power to get mine back."  
The other girl shook her head: "That's dangerous... What if he has time to use yours or something?"  
"Leo can always heal."  
"You cannot trust that Leo will always be there! What if it's Phoebe that exchanges her powers? After all, hers aren't active..."  
Piper shrugged: "We'll ask her later. Now, look for that spell. I'll get the ingredients."

°°°°°°°°°°

Cole was sitting on an armchair as he observed how his love was trying to get something from the couple, on the sofa.  
"Just relax, ok? I need you to be relaxed so that I can see something..."  
"See what?" the man asked, suspicious.  
"Premonitions," was the short impatient answer of Cole. "Just do as she says..."  
Jessica smiled weakly and pressed her bridegroom's hand. Then she closed her eyes and tried to think about everything she could remember.  
Jason did the same, at the sight of her love, and then Phoebe tried again to get something. If they didn't relax, her own empathy wouldn't let her premonitions work. Their feelings at that very moment wouldn't help, because the only thing they were feeling was so much love, and fear. But above all, love.  
Phoebe giggled a little bit. She needed to say it... She had always wanted to say that. "Come on, people... can you relax?"  
'Oh... I really love you. I needed to be with you.'  
Phoebe's feelings were being messed up with those of the couple, and she could barely control them. She didn't want to do something stupid, like when she told her ex 'love you too,' before he had said nothing at all. But she was unable to control it...  
Jason smiled with his eyes closed. 'I'll ask her again if she wants to marry me. We'll marry, and we'll be happy forever after. We'll truly marry this time... Do you wanna marry me, honey? No, no... Will you be my wife for all our life?...'  
"Yes I do, I will!" Phoebe exclaimed suddenly.  
Cole raised his eyes in surprise: "What?"  
The couple looked at her astonished too, as Phoebe covered her mouth with her hand.  
"Ooops... I mean, I do... I will... I will have a premonition. I DO want to have one, honey, I really want to have a premonition..."  
Cole raised his eyebrows in astonishment. "Are you ok, Phoebe?"  
"Yes, I am!" she answered, showing him her widest smile. "And now, let's go on with this. And you two..." she added in a reproachful tone, "you two, please... concentrate on the topic in question, ok? The clown, the holograms... and maybe how you, Jason, escaped."  
They both nodded and closed their eyes again, but Cole wanted to say something. However, he stopped. He felt something weird. He had that bad feeling again. Something was gonna happen. He knew it.  
Suddenly, they heard a terrible evil laughter... And a figure shimmered in front of them.  
"Oh my God!" Jessica yelled in panic. Jason placed himself in front of her, trying to protect her.  
"Well, well..." the clown said, "my two missing slaves... and two little witches... how funny!... That's a nice prey."  
Cole turned around to Leo who had sat behind him. But the chair was empty. 'Where the hell has he gone?' he thought not really listening to what the clown had just said. Meanwhile, Phoebe was calling her sisters. But she wasn't sure if they had heard her.  
"They won't come on time," the clown said. "You'll all come with me." Then he went over to Phoebe with his hand up to touch her.  
Phoebe stepped backwards, still calling Piper and Paige, while the clown went closer little by little.  
"NO!" Cole yelled. He jumped up, ran over to his love and pushed her aside just before that evil bastard touched her.  
Instead the clown now took him. He moved his hand into his body and then Cole disappeared in a green light.  
Phoebe and the frightened couple were unable to react. They were just paralysed.  
Then, bluish orbs filled the room, when Leo returned with the other sisters.  
As soon as they materialised Piper blew the clown up. When he was exploding, they heard his evil laugh...  
"He isn't dead," Leo remarked.  
Piper nodded: "I know... but for now he's gone."  
Paige looked around. "Where is Cole?" she asked. But instead of an answer, Phoebe just broke down crying.

_

* * *

(Chapter 8 written by Chrissy.W.x and Belén)_


	9. Chapter 9

**A Charmed Story - Part Five:  
20 Weddings And A Funeral?  
Chapter 9**

Michael was still lying in the grass. "I think you want me to play the 'still-wounded', when he returns, right?" Chris just nodded. "Will you tell me the rest of your story... one day, when we're out of here, I mean?"  
Chris nodded again; then he sighed: "There are two ways, I think... One leads us out of here within the rest of this day... how long it'll be..."  
"And the other way?" Michael asked, fearing the answer.  
Chris sighed again: "That way... hopefully, we'll not take it." Michael nodded.  
Then Chris saw the air waving in front of them. "He's back," he said to his friend who closed his eyes.  
But when Chris saw the person next to that evil guy, the blood in his veins froze. "Oh my God," he muttered.  
Michael opened his eyes a little, just to see that the clown was pushing someone over to them. "Here you have one of your witch-friends... when it's time to end this, they will all be here to see you die!" the clown yelled at him. Then he disappeared again.  
Chris hugged his uncle tightly. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked.  
"Wow, that's funny, you can hug me, but I can't give that back, buddy, sorry. I'm just touching through you..." Cole answered a little confused and still shocked.  
"You will get used to that," Michael said, sitting up, "don't worry."  
Chris shortly introduced his friend, then he asked again: "Cole... What are you doing here? And what about Bianca? And mum... and... me?"  
Cole raised his hands to stop him. Then he sat down. "The last time I saw them, they were all fine... And because of the fact that I'm the only one new here, let me also hope that they are still fine!"  
"But..." Chris said.  
Cole sighed: "Jake came to the manor... He wanted to catch Phoebe... I had to save her..."  
"Jake?" the other two asked surprised.  
"That's what we've found out... His name is Jake Fl..." he stopped and looked at Michael. Then he turned to his nephew and asked: "Do you really want him to hear all that?"  
Chris nodded: "Yeah... He's my friend and he knows already quite a lot about me, and the family."  
"Hey, don't worry," Michael said, "I will tell no one that you're a witch."  
Cole frowned: "Oh, I am not a witch!"  
"But the clown said you are one," Michael said confused.  
Cole grinned: "I think he meant someone else... he was also talking about two witches before he caught me, even if Phoebe was the only one in the room... He's mad... I'm not a witch... I can't be... I'm definitely not a witch..."  
Now it was Chris, who frowned. Then he asked: "Sure?"

°°°°°°°°°°

"Oh my Goodness, what happened?" Odin said after he, Nicki and Steve had finished the orbing. They looked at Piper and Paige who tried to calm down her crying sister, at the Phoenix who was taking care for the shocked couple and at Leo and Tom, who tried to arm them for the next attack.  
"Cole is caught," the other Elder explained shortly.  
"Oh my God!" Nicki exclaimed and went also over to Phoebe.  
Odin sighed. He wished he hadn't gone... If he had been there, he might have been able to help. He really regretted it.  
"If we only had a potion to kill him..." Phoebe cried desperate. Bianca nodded.  
"It's sad that we didn't keep a bit of the potion we used for the double-demons," Steve remarked.  
Piper looked up, facing Odin: "I didn't think about that... Is there maybe a little more of this potion? Or do you know how to make it?"  
The Elder just shook his head: "No... sadly..."  
"How come you don't know how to make it?" Phoebe yelled at him. Odin lowered his eyes.  
Paige sighed: "That crying doesn't help us right now..." Then he looked at Steve: "Did you find something new?"  
He nodded: "Yeah, we know now how he makes it... How he turns humans into holograms."

°°°°°°°°°°

Cole raised an eyebrow: "Sure? Are you ok, son? Or are you going nuts in this place? Of course I can NOT be a witch, for God's Sake! I was a demon! Demons and witches are not compatible!"  
"I wouldn't say so..." said Chris, unable to avoid smirking.  
"Ok..." Cole rolled his eyes, "not in that sense, but you understand what I mean..."  
Michael, meanwhile, had gone pale, and had walked backwards a little bit: "Demon you said...? Like Satan?" Both men turned to him suddenly, their eyes widely open.  
"Of course not!" exclaimed Chris.  
"Not exactly," said Cole at the same time.  
Then, both of them looked at each other. "Ok, ok... Michael... We witches usually fight demons. Demons are not exactly what Christendom or any other religion has transmitted, ok? They are like... Just the bad guys, the total evil. Then, you have the good ones, but I'll have to tell you that story in another moment."  
Michael shook his head pointing at Cole: "Didn't he just say he was a demon, then?"  
"Well, actually I was, yep. And that's also a looong story." he clarified, looking at Chris out of the corner of his eyes.  
His nephew nodded: "You don't need to worry, ok? This is a good demon. Actually, he's not a demon anymore. He's my family."  
Michael nodded, wanting to believe him: "...Ok..."  
"But definitely, I'm NOT a witch, buddy..." Cole remarked.  
"Well, that's what I wanted to say before. Cole... You might... Look, you came with me to some place, remember? Remember Hope?"  
Cole raised his eyebrows staring at him: "What?" But then he realised what Chris meant. "The fields..." he muttered.  
"Well... That was a place for testing witches... And you and I passed the trial!" he ended triumphantly. Cole was speechless.  
"So... He was a demon, but now he's a witch... And you... were a witch, and are still one, but more powerful than before... and you have a daughter who hasn't been born yet... Anything else I need to know before you drive me crazy?" Michael was trying to appear like the victim, but he really enjoyed all that stuff. It was so exciting!  
Chris and Cole looked at each other and smiled: "Actually, there's a lot more but all in good time. Now..."  
"Now we have to save you, son... After what I heard, I think this is gonna be hard. And again, someone wants to see you dead, what the hell did you do to all those people?" finished Cole.  
Chris shrugged. "Just tell me about your discoveries and all... And I guess this is time to try to get outta here."

°°°°°°°°°°

"Really?" Tom asked.  
"And how?" That was Piper.  
"Well, actually they are not holograms at all... they are ghosts." Steve explained.  
Phoebe jumped up: "You mean they are dead?" Again she was crying.  
"No," Nicki said, and forced Phoebe to sit down again, "they are not dead... they are..."  
"He turned their bodies into a kind of energy..." Steve went on. "They are made of energy now, like ghosts for example... But they are not dead. Otherwise Jessica and Jason wouldn't be here."  
"Alright, and how will we bring them back to our reality?" Paige asked.  
"Well... I believe that carrousel must be the key... If we can destroy it..." Odin suggested.  
Phoebe frowned: "And what if not?" She didn't dare to think about what could happen to her love.  
"It will work," Nicki said. Then she looked at Bianca.  
The Phoenix nodded and hugged Phoebe, while she whispered to her ear: "Otherwise Hope will help you... at least she will try."  
Phoebe looked at her thankful. "I'm so happy Chris brought you back," she whispered back.  
Meanwhile Odin looked at Leo. When he was at the school he had a little time to think about all that stuff. Now he had to talk to his fellow-Elder. He just went over to him and orbed with him away.  
"Leo!" Piper exclaimed but it was too late. "Great," she mumbled after the last pieces of orbing lights had gone.  
"And now?" Tom asked.  
"We still need to find a way to stop the clown!" Phoebe said while shaking her head. They had even no point where to start. So how are they supposed to find a way?  
"I will do that," Bianca said determined. "I know how to kill a witch!"  
"No," Piper said, "I know that you can do that, but you're pregnant, and..."  
"Piper, look," she interrupted her mother-in-law, "Hope will protect me, I know that. Same as you knew that you were safe when you were pregnant with Wyatt."

°°°°°°°°°°

Odin had orbed him and Leo to a little lake. It was a beautiful place, quiet and peaceful.  
But Leo had no eyes for that: "What is it?"  
"We have to talk Leo," Odin said. Leo just narrowed his eyes. "Look..." Odin sighed, "I... I... I'm overwhelmed... I don't know where to start..."  
The other grinned: "So maybe you should think about it... meanwhile, I'll go back and..."  
Leo tried to orb, but Odin held him back: "Look... I don't hate you, or your son, or your grandchild... I'm just... I feel worried... that's all."  
"They are no danger... they are good," Leo replied.  
"Now!" Odin said. "But what about next year... or in five years... What if another girl steals the puppet of your grandchild... How will she react...?"  
"Hope has wonderful parents, I'm sure they can handle that!"  
"And your son?" Odin went on. "What about his powers. He has too much. How can you be so sure that he will be always good!"  
Leo laughed: "That's simple." Then he turned serious again: "Because he has seen where this would lead to. I'm sure he will never be like his brother was in his timeline... And by the way, Wyatt is still more powerful than him. Only a little, but he is... or better, will be."  
"But Chris is an Elder... He knows too much." Odin replied.  
"So Chris is more dangerous for you!"  
"Leo, you know what I mean!"  
Leo sighed and nodded: "Even if he knew every single witch on this planet... He has seen what happened to his brother, what he did because of that. And you don't know how he felt after he... saved him." Odin lowered his eyes.  
"He has done so many things which he never wanted... Just to save the future... not for him, or for the family... no... he did it for the whole world! For every single creature. He has to live with what he has done, with all of it... And believe me, that isn't as easy for him as you may think. But he accepted it, 'cause he knew it was and is for a good reason. A reason that is much more important than himself... And that's the way you say 'thanks'?... That's really great!"  
"I'm sorry," Odin muttered, "I never saw it from that point of view. I'm truly sorry."  
Leo nodded.

°°°°°°°°°°

"And Bianca wasn't there, when that Jake attacked you?" Chris asked after Cole had finished his report. Meanwhile, he was looking around, looking at the other couple. They were lying in the grass, finally sleeping a bit.  
"No," Cole sighed, "and even if she were, your daughter would protect her... You know, after you were caught, your wife came back to the manor..."  
"Yeah, I had the hope that she had shimmered home." Chris replied.  
Cole grinned: "No, buddy... she orbed... or better Hope did. Your daughter orbed her home, 'cause Bianca was too freaked out to leave that place on her own."  
Chris's eyes got bigger and bigger with every word. "WHAT?" he exclaimed surprised, "She's already able to orb?"  
Cole just nodded.  
"Well... I don't know what that means," Michael said, "but it sounds good... seems your daughter is really powerful." He grinned too, because for his ears all that sounded very amazing.  
But Chris kept silent for a while; then he muttered: "Hopefully she will not end up like her uncle."  
Cole sighed, knowing exactly what Chris was thinking about: "She will be good... I'm sure."  
Michael wanted to add something, but he didn't. Suddenly he felt something floating heavily in the air. He didn't understand anything, but he saw the sorrow in the eyes of his friend.  
Finally he decided to change the topic, to cheer his friend up a little. He looked at Cole: "So if you are a witch, too... What powers do you have?"  
Cole looked at Chris, who shrugged. Then he said: "I'm still not sure that I'm a witch... I have no powers... I mean... I never noticed if I had any..." He made a short break. "I can't believe yet that I'm a witch. I just..."  
Chris sighed: "I'll find out." Then he laid his hand on Cole's chest and closed his eyes.  
"What are you doing?" Michael asked.  
Cole looked at the man, frowning: "He's seeking for magic inside me, I think."  
"Is that the way, witches discover each other?"  
"No, it's they way Elders seek witches."  
"Elders?"  
"Could you please shut up," Chris said impatient. Then, after a few more seconds of silence, he smiled. "Take it or leave it, uncle Cole... it's very weak, but... yes, you're a witch now!"  
"You're kidding!" Cole replied, still unable to believe that. He had already got used to live a life without any demonic powers... and now he had to be a witch... That was too much, simply too much...  
"I'm not... I never would make a joke like that!... by the way, I noticed it already when you came here, but I wasn't sure and I never noticed something like that about you before..."  
Cole just shook his head: "Don't tell the others, ok?... I mean... you know what I mean..." Chris nodded. Then Cole folded his hands and mumbled: "Please God, help me to deal with this"

°°°°°°°°°°

Odin and Leo stayed in the lake for a while, looking aside, pensive. Odin seemed to be a little bit embarrassed, and didn't dare to speak. Finally, Leo thought he had given him enough time to think, so he said: "So... You'll leave him alone? And all my family?"  
Odin looked straight in his eyes: "Leo, look... Even though I see your point, and I'm almost sure now that he won't turn evil... there are a lot of things to consider..."  
Leo rolled his eyes and moved his hands in a gesture of desperation, but Odin wouldn't let him talk.  
"I just want to be sure that everything's ok! I won't tell anyone else about my worries, not about what really happened with Gideon. I told you... I've been actually protecting him all this time. But in turn, I'll have to keep an eye on him. I'm not going to do anything at all, Leo... Only watch out."  
Leo shook his head, unbelieving: "If you don't trust Chris now... Who will you trust?"  
Odin sighed: "That's the way we survive, Leo... Not trusting anyone at all."  
Leo gave him a furious glare, but Odin went on: "Don't misinterpret what I mean, please... It's clear to me now that Chris is good. He's a great boy, and you must be proud of him. The thing is... There are demons out there, longing for power. They know the Halliwells, they know Chris and all your story. And they may know Hope too. What I mean is, perhaps they will never go to the dark side willingly, Leo... But what if some demon finds a way to control them, to steal their powers, or something like that? There's so much power in them!"  
Leo lowered his eyes, but persisted stubbornly: "The sisters have had to deal with something like that for several years now, and they survived and kept their powers. My son and my granddaughter will do it too. You don't need to worry about it, Odin."  
The Elder stared at Leo with sorrow. Finally, he patted his shoulder and said: "Let's pray that you're right..."  
Both men looked in each other's eyes deeply, in a tense silence. Then, Leo started to orb away. "We should go now." he said before disappearing.  
Odin sighed and followed him. He was confused and worried... He appreciated Chris, and after his talk with Leo, he somehow understood the boy and felt so much sorrow... But the potential danger was too high to forget it.

°°°°°°°°°°

Michael couldn't help but laugh after hearing Cole's words: "This is the last thing I expected... A demon..."  
"EX-demon," remarked Cole, interrupting him.  
"...an EX-demon, praying to God!"  
Cole shook his head tiredly, and Chris rolled his eyes: "Michael... I know this is weird but... Just, please... Forget everything for now. I promise we'll have a long chat in a good coffee shop when all this is done, but now we need to get out..."  
Michael nodded. "Sorry" he mumbled.  
"It's ok, man... I know it's weird... It's even for me. But if you wanna know, I was half human too, not a complete demon."  
"Oh..." Michael was about to answer, but Chris hushed them both. The couple had just awoken and looked around them, worriedly. They all looked around alert. It was as if they had sensed something...  
All of a sudden, a terrible laughter sounded in the air, and afterwards, the clown, Jake, appeared. "I need my new acquisitions now. I'll come for you later..." he said, grasping the man's and woman's arms, ignoring their complaints and cries.

°°°°°°°°°°

"Ok, so then... we agree, don't we?" Bianca asked, after a moment of silence.  
"I'm not sure this is a good idea yet..."  
"If I go, you won't need any potion or anything... I'm a Phoenix! I can kill him..."  
"Are you sure we wanna kill him?" asked Nicki suddenly. All the faces turned to her. "I mean..." she was a bit embarrassed, "shouldn't we find a way to stop him without killing him? He's a witch, he was good, I'm sure... Maybe he went nuts, but... hey, we only kill demons. He's more like a human being..."  
"Sweetie... I know this is kinda new for you, but... You'll learn that sometimes you have to take some decisions, and..."  
Tom lowered his eyes: "Actually I was thinking the same thing..."  
"Ok... I can try to just take his powers off him! Then, we'll see. But I need to go, NOW!"  
"How do you plan to get there, Bianca?" asked Paige.  
Phoebe looked at her, her eyes red, but calmer now. She hadn't said a word yet, as well as Jessica and Jason, who just stared at the sisters.  
"I can just go to the very same place where we heard the music... and wait. I'd bet he's gonna appear very soon. So, let's go." She grabbed Paige's hand.  
"Hey you should wait for Leo and Odin, what if you get hurt or something?"  
Steve nodded: "And we might need a plan B, just in case we need some emergency escape, don't you think so?" Phoebe nodded.  
"I may help, if you like..." Jason had stepped forward. "I can go with you... After all, I've been there for a long time." Jessica was about to complain, and everyone had turned to look at him, amazed, when Odin and Leo reappeared.  
"Oh, you're back, right on time, as it seems," Paige said.  
Piper hugged Leo tightly: "Everything ok?" He nodded.  
"Anything new?" Odin asked. "Did you have a premonition or something Phoebe?"  
She shook her head: "No, actually..."  
"I'll go and end this," Bianca interrupted her.  
Odin and Leo looked at her with their mouths wide open.  
"What?" Leo exclaimed. "You can't do this... what if you get hurt... Chris wouldn't..."  
Bianca rolled her eyes. "I will do... I'm..." suddenly she felt a little dizzy "... I... I... Hope..." Then she broke down.

°°°°°°°°°°

"Hey, Uncle Cole!"  
The three raised their eyes to see who had spoken to them. For a second they were all shocked.  
Chris jumped up, went over to the little girl and hugged her tightly. The little girl hugged him back. "Hey daddy," she whispered to his ear.  
Cole looked at that scene in disbelief. "Oh my God," he muttered. Then he turned to Michael: "Is that...?"  
"His daughter, it seems," he answered.  
"Uncle Cole, are you ok?" the little girl asked again.  
Chris took the little girl in his arms. Now he felt not so weird as he had when they met the first time. Now it was kind of natural for him to have his unborn child around him like that. He went over to the others and sat down next to him, still hugging his child.  
Cole couldn't believe his own eyes. That was completely crazy. But he couldn't deny that this girl looked like Bianca, but with Chris's eyes... Hope was still looking at him.  
"I think she wants an answer," Chris said with a smile and kissed Hope on her cheek.  
"I... I think... I'm... I'm alright," Cole stuttered.  
The girl smiled: "That's good, I'll tell mommy; she will tell Aunt Phoebe."  
Cole smiled: "Yes, do that, little princess. And tell Phoebe that I love her ok?"  
The girl nodded. Then she turned to Chris. "Mommy will free you."  
Chris frowned: "How? I mean... what do you know?"  
"Mommy will kill the evil clown." Hope said these words with such a serious voice that the three men needed a moment to let it sink in.  
"No," Chris exclaimed then, "tell her that your daddy doesn't want her to do that... it's too dangerous, for both of you! Tell her she must NOT do it!"  
Hope smiled but shook her head: "Mommy said she's the only one who could do that... And I think she's right."  
"But..." Chris wanted to add something.  
"I think she's right, buddy," Cole interrupted him, "Bianca is a Phoenix, she's able to do that."  
Chris looked at him. Then he nodded.  
"I have to go back now... talking to you takes a lot of energy from mommy," Hope said.  
"Alright, sweetie... Take care of mommy ok?" Hope nodded. Then she disappeared.  
"Wow," Cole said, after the girl was gone, "Are you sure that this was real?"  
Chris smiled at him: "It was... I could feel it."  
"That's so weird!"  
Michael, who had kept silent the last minutes, just watching his new friend with his daughter, now asked: "What is a Phoenix? I mean... you didn't marry a horse with wings, right?"

°°°°°°°°°°

"Oh my God," Phoebe said, and tried to hold Bianca. Leo and she lay her back down on the sofa. She was sweating.  
"That's not good," said Piper while touching her forehead, "she's got fever."  
Odin went over to her and was about to touch her womb, but Leo held him back.  
"Damn!" he said, "I just want to help." Odin looked deeply into the eyes of the other Elder.  
Then, Leo let him free: "Don't do wrong."  
Odin nodded. He knelt down next to the girl and touched her womb carefully. Then he juddered. He was shaking. "Oh my God," he muttered; then he was thrown back to his ass.  
After that Bianca woke up slowly. She opened her eyes and sat up. She didn't care about Odin that moment, who was still sitting on the ground looking really confused and shocked.  
Bianca was looking for Phoebe. She took her hand and looked at her smiling: "There is something you need to know." Then she put the hand of the empath on her womb and in the same second Phoebe had a vision. A vision of what Hope had seen, and about what she had heard.  
After that Phoebe's eyes were welling up with tears again, but she was smiling. "Thanks!" she said and hugged Bianca tightly.  
Meanwhile Paige and Nicki were taking care of Odin. They helped him stand up. "What happened?" Paige asked looking at the still shocked Elder.  
"Now I understand..." he said, "I understand everything... The girl... she's good... she's like their parents..."  
Bianca frowned, Leo did the same. Piper looked at the Elder questioning: "Could you explain to us what you're talking about... clearly?"  
Odin had problems to make his thoughts clear. What he had just seen was so overwhelming. He had seen a whole life put into a second... "The girl... she's out of time..." he stuttered, "she's able to see the past, same as the future... she can be in every time at the same time... she showed me, that she will be alright... that she will be good."

°°°°°°°°°°

This time it was Cole that tried not to laugh. The only image of Chris with a horse with wings... That Michael was really funny. "Well what you mean is a Pegasus, Phoenix was that bird who came back from the ashes..."  
"Whatever... so you married a bird?"  
"No," Chris began to laugh, he couldn't help it. "A Phoenix is actually another kind of... witch, so to say. She's not a witch, but... Ok... Let's say she's a witch, for now. I'll explain later. Just make a list of the things you want me to answer!" Chris answered, still smiling. Then he had to laugh again. Michael's attitude was so natural, and understandable!  
Cole smiled too. He could feel how happy Chris was. At least, in relation to the situation in which they were now... He was happy to have a friend. A true friend, non-magical, but reliable enough to count on. That was really good... Chris needed that, to disintoxicate from magic, to relax... to live.  
"Well, ok, man... let's get outta here... With all you're telling me, I'm starting to think that you're keeping us here on purpose, just to enjoy looking at my astounded face. Because surely you've got enough power to get us free..." Michael said, standing up with a quick jump.  
Chris smiled sadly: "I wish you were right, but yet, I'm not sure of how we could get out... I'd risk crossing that forest, but Jake's threats scare me... I don't want any of you to be in danger, so what if I go alone?"  
Cole shook his head: "You heard Hope, they're gonna try something. You just wait here. With us... Let them work for this time."  
"But Bianca..."  
Michael patted his shoulder: "Your wife will be fine, I'm sure, after seeing such an amazing child..."  
Chris nodded, and sighed: "Ok... So what do we do while we wait?"

°°°°°°°°°°

"Wow..." was the general exclamation in the room.  
"Bianca, is that true? Your daughter can do THAT? Does she know all THAT?" this was Paige's amazed voice.  
Steve frowned: "Can Elders or Phoenixes do that?" Leo and Odin shook their heads.  
Then Nicki looked at Piper: "Can you the Halliwells or your ancestors do that?"  
"No! I mean, I don't think so..."  
"That's... incredible..." Odin was still too shocked to elaborate a complete sentence. "So much power..." Bianca smiled tenderly.  
"Do you think it's because Chris is too powerful now?" Tom asked.  
Leo startled and turned to look at Odin, suspicious. But his fellow-Elder smiled: "I think I understand it now... This power... It had never existed before. An unborn child who is actually out of time... Out of time..."  
All the people in the room looked at Odin expecting for some clear statement, and not so much mumbling. But Odin needed his time to process what had just happened.  
"It's because of all the time travelling stuff... This child was meant to be born in another timeline, in the future. Her parents were separated from their timeline, they're now out of time too... They conceived a child out of time... and her power is the result! It's like she's got the time in her hands. She'll be one of the most powerful beings ever... But she'll be good."  
Everyone opened their mouth, surprised by the explanation. It made so much sense! But Bianca just smiled. She knew that... she felt that. But now, she had something to do... "Paige, give me your hand... Orb me to Disney World, please. I better save my energy... Let's finish with all this stuff," she commanded.  
"Will you free all the people imprisoned there?" Jessica and Jason asked, a little bit afraid that they wouldn't.  
But Bianca nodded: "Of course we'll do. That's what we do..."  
"Bring my husband back, please..." Phoebe muttered with her face wet with tears. The others were shocked at her calling him 'husband'. "Bring Cole to me... "  
Bianca nodded, feeling a gulp on her throat. Then she indicated Paige that she should start orbing.  
Piper turned to Leo and Odin: "You two, go after them... But be careful not to be caught. Just go in case they need help."  
Leo nodded, and kissed his wife on the forehead. "And you promise you won't leave this house... I need the little child inside you to be safe, as well as his mom."  
Piper grinned: "Sure, we'll be fine... Phoebe, sweetie, sit down... It's time that the Charmed Ones have a rest... Let's let the rest do the dirty job."  
Phoebe obeyed, feeling so feeble. She knew Cole was alright. But she wanted to see him... More than ever. She couldn't afford losing him one more time. She wanted to spend her whole life with him!  
Paige was right... She was seeing weddings everywhere for some reason... And all this story might be a signal, but she needed Cole to be safe, to survive...  
Leo and Odin orbed away, and at that very moment, Tom took his friend's hands.  
"Piper is alright... It's time for the young generation to do this kind of dirty job. We'll help them!" he said, and shimmered his friends and himself away before the two sisters could protest.  
Jessica and Jason looked at each other and made themselves comfortable. What else could they do? Just wait...

_

* * *

(Chapter 9 written by Chrissy.W.x and Belén)_


	10. Chapter 10

**A Charmed Story - Part Five:  
20 Weddings And A Funeral?  
Chapter 10**

"Well... you could answer some more questions," Michael suggested.  
Chris just shook his head smiling: "Man, you're unbelievable!"  
"Before... the clown said your name was Chris Halliwell... But didn't you say your family name was Perry?"  
Cole frowned, but Chris just shrugged. "I'm sorry, I didn't intend to lie to you..." he said with a low voice. He had almost forgotten his little lie, "it's just... I didn't know how much the clown knows... And the Halliwells are very famous, you know... I just don't want him to do something just because I'm one of them... I'm sorry."  
Michael nodded: "Never mind. I think I would have done the same... I mean... you didn't know me, so why should you trust me?"  
"Now I do," Chris replied with a serious voice. "And I hope we will still be friends when you know the complete story."  
Now it was Michael who frowned: "Why shouldn't I?... Even if I don't know everything about you... I think I know YOU very well."  
Chris sighed. Cole could see in his eyes that there was something inside him that wanted to be told. But he wasn't sure if that would be a good idea, at least at that moment. But he knew Chris would do it...  
"Even if I have killed someone?" Chris asked looking him into the eyes.  
Michael swallowed: "You're not talking about demons, right?" Chris nodded.  
"Hey, that isn't correct... not completely!" Cole interrupted that discussion, which was about to turn into the wrong direction. "You killed the one who was about to kill your brother... And those Valkiries... ok... but you had to... There was no other way."  
Chris just stared into the nothing, his eyes turned glassy.  
Michael was still looking at his friend. Yes, he still was his friend, whatever he had done. Then he put his arm around him. He had just the feeling that this crazy guy needed that. Chris smiled weakly, noticing that his new-found friend was still there, that he didn't run away from him.  
"And now," Michael said after a short break, "I want to hear the whole story... I think you should start with your birth, just to make sure not to miss something important." Cole grinned when Chris did the same. Then the Elder-witch started to speak. "Well... I was born on June, 24th 2004... means in about 4 months!"  
"What?" Michael exclaimed confused. But he didn't jump up or something. He just stayed where he was, hugging his friend and waiting for an explanation.

°°°°°°°°°°

"And now?" Paige asked after they had finished orbing.  
Bianca looked around. The park was already closed for the night. Everything was calm around them. And there was no sight of the carrousel. The space was completely empty.  
"We wait," she said.  
At that moment, Leo and Odin orbed in.  
"What the hell are you doing here?" Bianca asked angry. That was her job. She didn't want the others around her.  
"Piper sent us; she thought you might need some help," Leo explained.  
"Oh, I think I can handle this alone," Bianca gave back. But at that moment also Tom, Nicki and Steve shimmered in. "Great," the Phoenix mumbled.  
"Where is it?" Tom asked. "Didn't you say it's here?"  
Bianca rolled her eyes: "I don't know where it is, I just said that it was here. And I'm sure he will return to this place. He will come, we just have to wait."  
"And what if he doesn't?" Odin asked.  
"Well," Steve interrupted him, "we should use the time to think about what we will do if we catch him or whatever... kill him. How do we free the others? How do we destroy the carrousel?"  
"I have still some 'all-round-potions in my pocket," Paige said.  
"And you have us," Leo said. Then he looked at Odin: "In that case, we should help, I think." The other Elder nodded.  
"I have also a spell that we could try," Nicki said.  
Paige nodded: "That should be enough."  
Bianca put her hand on her womb and closed her eyes. "Please, little girl, I know you want to help, but this is mommy's job... Just make sure that you don't get hurt, I'll do the rest." Leo sighed, hearing these words. Bianca noticed it and looked at him: "I just don't want her to put the forcefield up. I want to be able to fight."  
Her father in law nodded. "If you need me, I'm here." It was amazing how strong she was, how determined, how... how much she loved his son.  
"I know," she answered smiling, sure that his words were true.

°°°°°°°°°°

"...I tried to go on, but it turned to be worse and worse every day that passed. When I was 18 I left him. It was like... running away with my love... But he didn't stop to be that evil guy... it was the opposite... he began to rule the world and finally we decided that I had to go back to the past, to stop those who had first turned him... even if we didn't know who that was."  
"So that's why you are here, now?" Michael asked. He had just listened to what his friend had told him the past minutes. It was unbelievable, those things about the future. But he knew it was the truth, Chris wouldn't lie to him, not in such a situation. It was unbelievable what this man had gone through.  
Chris nodded: "I came here about... two years ago. At first - until a few months ago - no one knew who I..."  
"Telling some family-novels?" they suddenly heard a too well-known voice.  
Chris looked up facing the clown who stood a few steps away. He rose: "I think you should better run and hide as fast as you can... 'cause if I don't kill you, my family will do that for me." The clown just laughed.  
"Guys," Cole said, "I'm not sure if that makes any sense to you, but I got a really bad feeling... something is going on." Chris looked at him surprised. Then he felt again that weak presence of a magical spirit inside his uncle. But before he could answer something, the clown rose to speak again.  
"I have something that will keep you away from your plans, my little poor witch," he said and shimmered a rope to his hand. And at the other end there was bound a girl, a bride.  
"Angela!" Michael exclaimed. He was about to run over to her but Cole held him back.  
"Now you do as I say, or I swear this girl will be begging me for ending her torture," the clown yelled.  
"Oh my God," Michael muttered.  
"Shhhh," Cole said, "everything will be alright... Just hold on, Chris knows what he's doing, believe me."  
Chris just stood there waiting for the clown to make the next move. He was thinking if he could be fast enough to stop him, before he could hurt the bride of his friend, but... no... he couldn't risk her life. She was an innocent.  
"Alright," the clown said now smiling, "so, would you all please be so kind to go that way?" At the same second he had said that, a way framed with little lights appeared.  
Chris sighed. Then he looked at the others and nodded.  
They followed the way for about two minutes. It led them to a big building. 'The Haunted mansion,' Chris thought. The clown forced them to go in.  
Seconds later they were in a kind of hall. On the ground was a large pentacle with little lights on it's shape. Around that sign, stood a lot of little cages. In every single one was sitting one hologram, looking at them in fear.  
But the most impressing thing was the large altar in the middle of all that. Large enough for a human being to lie on it. And there were chains for hands and feet.  
Now the clown put also Michael and the angry Cole into jail. His uncle was swearing but Chris told him with his look that he should calm down.  
Then the clown turned to Chris again, still holding the rope that bound the girl, tightly. "Now, that's your place, make yourself comfortable."  
There were no emotions shown in Chris's face when he went over to the altar and lay down. He closed his eyes; then he heard how the chains snapped shut.

°°°°°°°°°°

Bianca was pacing around. That took too long... way too long... The clown was supposed to be there already... But he wasn't.  
"I..." Nicki rose to speak carefully, "I don't think he'll come.  
Bianca looked at her, worried. She was sure the clown would show up some time, when he sensed her... But they had been there for too long. What if something bad happened to Chris, meanwhile? Or Cole? She turned to Leo and Odin, waiting for some support and advice, but Leo seemed to be really distressed too.  
Odin, however, took the word: "We should wait a little bit more. Chris can take care of himself. And I think you are right, Jake will show up sooner or later." Bianca nodded, but she was not so sure anymore.  
They kept silent for a while, until Tom's voice attracted their attention: "Hey you, guys... Have you seen that? Do the rides work at night?"  
Steve looked in the direction he showed them, and frowned. The Haunted Mansion was wrapped up in a greenish light. It wasn't an electric light, it seemed, on the contrary, sort of magical...  
"What the hell is going on up there?" Nicki asked, shocked.  
Suddenly, Bianca felt that strong but well-known pain in her womb.

°°°°°°°°°°

Chris was trying to keep calm, and not show any emotions, because he didn't want to scare Michael or his uncle more than they were already, and he didn't either want the clown to feel that good, when he saw him scared. But the truth was, he was really freaking out.  
Once he felt the chains pinning him down to the altar, and realised that he couldn't move at all, he panicked. He kept his eyes closed for a while, and tried to control his breathing...  
"Are you comfortable enough... traitor?" Jake asked very near his ear, in a kind of whisper that froze the blood inside him.  
Chris opened his eyes; he could feel his breath next to him. "You bastard... You won't get through this."  
"You mean YOU won't get through this..." He started to laugh. Then he turned to the people in the cages.  
Cole had been insulting him all the time, and trying to find a way out, but it was impossible.  
Michael was terrified, staring at his fiancée, who was still tied up, and so scared... He tried to calm her down, saying that everything was gonna be ok, and all, but he wasn't sure anymore. What about Chris, and his powers?  
"We'll kill you, you son of a bitch!" Cole yelled when he heard the clown saying that.  
Jake laughed even louder: "I'm wondering how you'd do that, in your current situation..."  
Chris tried to concentrate as much as he could... He had to use his powers again. He knew he could do that. He had to free himself, using his telekinesis. But he was not able, maybe because he was so scared.  
What about orbing? He couldn't focus, with all the cries, and laments and insults around him, and also that evil laughter... he tried hard.  
Finally, when he was going to give up, he felt his body was beginning to turn into blue orbs, he got it!  
But all of a sudden, a hand grasped his neck, and the process was interrupted.  
"You're trembling..." Jake said, "cool. Our ancestors were really scared, and they suffered a lot, too. And it wasn't that fast. Will you be as brave as they were, and hold on until the time comes?" Then he let go off him, and Chris started to cough heavily.  
"Yeah... I really wanna know how much you can hold on without panicking." Then he smiled. "They showed a lot of strength... They held their heads up all the time. But I guess you won't."  
Chris didn't try to answer. Instead, it was Cole that did it, only a load of insults, and hits on the bars of his cage.  
Chris was happy that Jake hadn't realised that he had been about to orb, so he could go on trying, if given enough time. He tried it, he felt the orbs, but still he couldn't escape. Where was Bianca? Wasn't she coming? What about Hope? He had believed any of them would finally show up...  
The clown went to the cages and pushed Angela inside one, still tied up. Michael went as nearer as he could.  
"Are you ok? We're gonna get outta here, I promise..." he said. The girl nodded, but her face was covered with tears.  
"Daddy..." whispered a voice next to Chris. He quickly turned his face to the side, and saw that Hope was there, squatting, hiding from the clown, who was busy answering Cole's insults and having fun with the other prisoners. "Are you ok?"  
Chris nodded energetically: "But you shouldn't be here, he's gonna sense you."  
The girl shook her head: "No, but I gotta go now. Mommy is coming soon, but first, you should try to free yourself, and make the clown believe you're still tied up. We're gonna surprise him." She chuckled a little bit.  
Chris frowned: "But how..." He didn't finish.  
"I need to go, daddy... Mommy needs to feel good for the fight..." She started to disappear. "I love you, daddy," she said just before fading away.  
Chris kept looking at that side for a while, thinking about what she had just said.  
'How?' he thought. 'How can I go out of these chains? They are magical, dammit!' He sighed.

°°°°°°°°°°

Bianca opened her eyes slowly. She was lying in the grass surrounded by the others.  
"Everything alright?" Leo asked.  
She nodded: "But I really need to have a serious talk with that little girl." She pointed at her womb with a weak smile.  
"So... what happened exactly?" Nicki asked. "What has she done?"  
Bianca stood up, checking herself to see if she was alright: "She was over there, where the light is, I think."  
"Did you... she... see him?" Leo asked. He was still confused about that.  
The Phoenix nodded: "He's in danger, we have to hurry."  
Tom was the first who started to shimmer, Bianca followed him. Paige took the hands of Nicki and Steve and orbed, same as Leo and Odin.  
When they re-materialised, they stood in front of the 'Haunted Mansion'. The green light was beaming out of every window, every door, every kind of opening. And it was also waving around the complete building.  
"Great, back to the beginning," Paige muttered.  
Bianca went closer to the entrance, step by step. But when she was about two meters away from it, she was thrown back.  
"Bianca!" Leo exclaimed.  
"Damned!" she yelled while she rose to her feet again. Then she waved to the others: "I'm alright."  
Odin nodded: "Seems to be a very special kind of forcefield."  
"What do you mean?" Nicki said.  
"The colour and the structure," he replied frowning and carefully approaching the green light, "it seems to be a combination of good and demonic magic!"  
"That's not good," Tom shook his head, same as his friends.  
Bianca walked again a little closer: "We need to go in there." She was really worried about Chris... He was in great danger and the time was working against them. They had to hurry, so she tried to shimmer. But again she was thrown back.  
"You shouldn't try," Leo said with a worried look to her womb.  
Bianca smiled weakly: "Don't worry, she's alright. But we really need to go in there... fast!" Then she looked at Odin, who was actually the oldest one, with the largest experience: "Any ideas about how we could get through it?" The Elder sighed and shook his head.

°°°°°°°°°°

At the same time at the Halliwell Manor, Piper was again preparing some cookies. It seemed to turn into a natural habit that she made some of those sweet things when she was worried and nervous about something.  
Phoebe, Jessica and Jason were sitting around the kitchen-table, observing her activities.  
"They will be alright," Jessica said. Piper and Phoebe turned to her suddenly, making the girl feel a little uncomfortable. "I mean..." she stuttered, "I... I think that... Well... after all I've seen today... They will be back safe, I think."  
Piper nodded: "They will."  
"I hope so, "Phoebe muttered.  
For a moment there was a deadly silence between them.  
Piper was thinking about Chris. She wasn't still completely able to handle that feeling that her son was in danger... Even if he was grown up, she wanted to protect him... But she also knew he had to handle those things on his own. She couldn't be around him forever...  
Phoebe at the same time thought about Cole. She couldn't believe how much she loved him. She needed him by her side... She always did. She sighed.  
Jason looked at his bride. "When this is over, we'll go back to our family... They will be really surprised to see us, I suppose."  
Jessica's look turned sad and worried.  
"What's wrong?" he asked.  
Jessica didn't know how to say it: "Well... there is something you don't know by now."  
The man looked around. "What?" he asked with a little fear.  
"It's the date," Piper said.  
"What date?"  
"The date of today," Phoebe said, "today it's February 21st, 2004!"  
Jason leaned back speechless. He couldn't believe it, that couldn't be true... "You're kidding!" he exclaimed finally.  
"No they are not," Jessica said leaning her head on his shoulder.  
The man shook his head: "But that's impossible... How will we ever explain that?"

°°°°°°°°°°

Cole was still swearing, Chris still chained on the altar. Michael looked around fearful. 'That goes completely the wrong way,' he thought. How should his new found friend help them out when he was chained at that damned altar! He shook his head and sat down on the ground of the cage.  
"Honey?" he heard his bride. Michael looked up. She had knelt down in the corner of her cage, looking at him with fearful eyes. "Who is that?" she whispered.  
Michael sighed: "Someone who could help us, hopefully." He smiled at her. He was glad to see her healthy... But on the other hand, he felt guilty. because if Chris hadn't been his friend, Michael's bride wouldn't have been something to put him under pressure.  
He shook his head trying to throw away that thought... It was bullshit. The clown could have used every single person there. Chris wouldn't risk any of their lives... He never could do that, Michael was sure. Chris had told him that witches were born to protect those who are innocent, so he would never risk that anybody of them would get hurt.  
Michael looked over to him again. Chris was lying there, his face turned to the other side, so that he couldn't see it. He didn't move.  
'I need to help him,' he thought. Then he giggled uncontrollably. 'How could I help... if even he, a witch and whatever, isn't able to get out of those chains... how could I do something?' he thought.  
Then he saw that Chris moved his head. He turned around and looked at him. He saw him forming silently words with his mouth. "Sorry."  
Michael shook his head. "Chris! Don't worry," he yelled, "we'll get out of here... I believe in you!"  
Chris smiled weakly. 'Michael is so unbelievable...' he thought. He reminded him a little of himself. Michael never gave up as it seemed.  
"I believe in you," he yelled again, "like I did it when I pulled you up, remember?"  
Chris saw the clown turning his head to his new friend, after he yelled over to him.  
But Cole knew perfectly what he had to do. As he saw that the clown attention turned to the man he moved his hand through the bars of the cage and beat Jake in his face. The clown struggled back, but he didn't fall. Cole was surprised that he managed to beat him. He hadn't thought it would work.  
Meanwhile the clown approached the cage again, looking very angry. "THAT was a big mistake," he said to him and threw some energy flashes against the man.  
'Where did he get that power from?' Cole thought before he was hit and lost his consciousness.  
Michael had looked at that scene with fear. Now the clown was approaching his cage.  
Chris had risen as far as he could. His mind was spinning around. He had to get free. '...like I did when I pulled you up' Michael's words came to his mind again. 'Step by step' he had said that time... Step by step. 'What if...' he thought, 'what if I don't try to orb me out completely? What if I just orb my hands out of the chains?'

°°°°°°°°°°

Phoebe and Piper stared at the couple sadly. It would be really hard to deal with that, but they would do it together, and all the couples, once they were freed. They would get over it... Suddenly the deep and uncomfortable silence raised by Jason's question was broken by the phone. The sisters looked at each other in surprise, as Jessica and Jason waited for them to pick it up.  
Finally, Piper cleaned her hands and went to the telephone: "Hello?"  
"Sweetie? It's me, dad... What the hell is going on there?"  
"Oh..." Piper sighed, worried. They had completely forgotten about him, Cole had left his house and he was still waiting for some explanation.  
"Cole said he'd phone when he knew something new, but... You know, I'm patient, but I was worried. Is everything alright?"  
"Yes, yes... well...actually, no. But you don't need to worry, we'll handle this as we always do."  
"Is Cole still there?"  
"Yes, he is..." she lied. "He's helping us, ok? Don't you worry at all. I'll phone later and let you know, dad. But now I need to go."  
"Ok... I'm sorry, honey, I hope that everything is under control."  
"It is, dad. Talk to you later."  
Piper turned to look at her sister when she finally put the phone back on its place. "It was dad... He's worried..." Phoebe nodded but said nothing.  
Then, Piper sat down too, taking a cup of tea between her hands, and sipped slowly. "You know what?" she said after a while. "Your family will finally understand all this. At first they'll be at a loss, but then... You know, you are their beloved beings... That's the only important thing, and what they will take into account. So don't worry. And believe me... We know about that too."  
Jessica and Jason nodded, trying to smile, and Phoebe just looked into the nothing, still thoughtful.

°°°°°°°°°°

Chris was watching how the clown approached Michael's cage, and Cole was lying unconscious. He had to get free as soon as possible, so he tried to concentrate again, and carry out his idea. He should free his hands, by orbing only them. However, for much he tried, it was impossible.  
He couldn't focus. Jake was too near the cage, and Michael was so freaked out! Besides, he had never tried to orb only one part of his body before, that was even more difficult now, that he couldn't use his magic as he was used to. He tried again, and finally his hand turned bluish, but when he thought he had got it, it was again transparent, like a hologram. "Shit," he muttered.  
"Do you really believe in him?" the clown asked, looking fiercely at Michael. "Do you trust traitors? You shouldn't do that: One day, when you less expect it, he'll turn his back to you, and stab you in your back. Believe in me, buddy. I promised I'd get a revenge, and I'll get it." Then he smiled evilly, as he raised his hand.  
"You are NOthing compared to him, bastard!" Michael cried, shaking. "And yes. I DO believe in him, and I DO believe he will get us free because he promised. And I DO believe he can do it, he really can, do you hear me?"  
"Crystal," answered the clown, smirking. Then, he opened his hand, and a greenish ray flashed from it toward Michael, who stared at him scared. He was gonna die... He closed his eyes, but nothing happened. On the contrary, he could hear Jake's swearing far from him, so he opened his eyes and looked around...  
"What the..." He couldn't see the bars anymore, he was free. He was free and standing on the opposite side of the room, just by the altar where Chris was still lying.  
And not only that... He looked around, and saw how every cage was being emptied little by little. People inside started to disappear in the middle of some blue lights and reappeared outside.  
"Wow!" he exclaimed suddenly.  
To top it all, he could see how the clown was imprisoned in the cage he himself had just occupied!  
He looked down to Chris. He had his eyes closed, and seemed to be really concentrated. He didn't want to disturb him, so he ran to untie his fiancée, and hugged her tightly. She broke down in his arms, shaking, but happy to be able to embrace her love.  
Suddenly, Michael saw a still unconscious Cole lying on the floor, outside his cage too. He kissed the girl, and told her: "Honey, just go with the others, run out of here, if you can... I'll go as soon as I free Chris and see if Cole is ok."  
The girl nodded and ran towards the other people, who were still amazed.  
At the same time, Michael went to Cole, and tried to feel his pulse. He turned pale... He couldn't feel it. He turned to look at Chris, and saw he had his eyes still closed. The couples were still being freed, and Jake was doing something to break free himself, without success.  
He had to do something on his own... Michael looked at Cole worriedly. Then, without thinking about it, tore his shirt apart and started to massage his heart... He knew how to do that, he had been a lifeguard in a beach. 'Come on...' he thought.  
Chris was exhausted. He had spent so much energy on freeing himself! He had tried it once and again, but time flew, Michael was in danger, and the damned irons were magic, so he wouldn't be able to free himself. But... Suddenly he heard Michael's voice saying that he believed in him, and that he could do it... "Do you hear me?" That wasn't a question for Jake, but for Chris. Of course he heard him... And he knew he believed in him...  
Step by step... Suddenly he realised. He was able to use his magic, but he wasn't able to free himself. Which meant... The problem wasn't himself! It was the protection of the chains! So what if he tried to free the others, to orb them?  
Whatever, he had to do it, and quickly. He saw how the clown was going to use his powers against his friend. So... He started orbed him out of the cage. Thus, the rays hit the wall. Then he freed his uncle, and after that, he put the clown inside a cage.  
Little by little, he was freeing every one. That was the first step, and the most important one... Then he could think about himself.  
But now he had finished, and was exhausted... He looked at Michael, and saw what he was trying... He was the only one that had stayed there, and tried to save Cole.  
Then he looked at Jake. He had to use his remaining strength to keep him inside the cage, so each time he tried to break free, he orbed him in again.  
Cole woke up, and saw Michael, who smiled at him.  
"Nice to see you again, my demonic friend!" he said, offering his hand to the man on the floor.  
Cole took it, and sat up. Then both of them turned to see Chris. He was still chained and exhausted, but he smiled at them.  
"Thanks, Michael..." he said. "Get outta here. They'll come for me soon."  
"You're crazy man? I'm not leaving..."  
Chris shook his head as he saw his uncle and Michael approaching: "I cannot keep him inside for longer. Go..." Michael ignored him. He just took one of the chains and tried to open it. "It's magical, boy, you cannot open them," Chris said. Suddenly he heard the metallic noise made by the irons.  
Michael grinned: "I'm not magical, this doesn't affect me. And I didn't need that golden thingy to save his life either. I can be useful too, man."  
"Of course..." Chris sighed. He couldn't do that before because he was the chained one, but anyone else could free him, just by moving a piece of the chain. They were traditional irons with magical reforcement.  
Cole was going to free his other hand, as Michael went quickly to his feet, when they both fell down on the floor, unconscious.  
Chris looked at his side, in shock. The clown had escaped, and was at his feet, glaring at him very angrily. "You're gonna pay for this."

_

* * *

(Chapter 10 written by Chrissy.W.x and Belén)_


	11. Chapter 11

**A Charmed Story - Part Five:  
20 Weddings And A Funeral?  
Chapter 11**

Tom looked at the others and said: "Hey... I think I can try to get in."  
Everyone shook his head. "There's no use."  
"There is... You cannot get in because you are good and the evil magic stops you. The evil guys are stopped by the good magic. But I am a Mestizo, remember? Good and evil..."  
Nicki rolled her eyes: "So, both magics will stop you..."  
"Actually, I think both magics would try to let me in and stop me at the same time... This could block them and the effect would disappear."  
Steve, Odin and Leo frowned, pensive: "It could work, but it might be dangerous for you..."  
Tom shrugged: "When is it not dangerous?"  
Paige smiled weakly, as well as Bianca: "You can try..." Tom nodded. Then he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.  
"Wait!" Paige said. The young man turned to her impatient. "Here," she said and pulled out one potion-bottle, "maybe you'll need this!"  
"Search for something that gives power to that forcefield... it's too big just to be made of only magic..." Leo added.  
Tom took the potion and nodded to the Elder: "I'll try to shut it down when I get in."  
"Be careful," Odin said.  
Tom nodded, closed his eyes and shimmered. It was weird... even if he had closed his eyes, he could see the forcefield, or were his senses betraying him? He wasn't sure. He just tried to get through it.  
The others watched their friend, they observed him while he disappeared. They could only imagine where his body 'was' exactly.  
Then they heard a cracking noise and a sibilance, and a sound like an electric flash. Then they heard Tom again. He was swearing and cursing. But they couldn't see him.  
Paige looked at Steve. "Where is he?" she asked.  
Steve closed his eyes, trying to contact his friend. But he wasn't able to. He looked at Paige again and shook his head.  
Tom felt it when he hit the shield. It was like he had got an electronic shock. But he moved forward. He felt a huge pressure on his lungs, it took away his breath. But he moved forward, he had to. He just hoped that this would have a quick end... one way, or the other. Then he felt like falling.  
Odin began to pace in front of the shield. "That takes too long," he muttered.  
"One and a half minute," Nicki remarked, looking at her watch.  
Paige looked at the two young witches who were standing close to each other, holding hands. "He'll be alright," she said. Even if she wasn't sure about it on her own.  
Then they heard a noise... and then a yell of excitement.  
"YEAH! I'M IN!"  
They all approached the shield as close as possible. There, on the other side, they saw Tom waving his hand.  
"Try to find a way to shut down that forcefield... hurry!" Bianca commanded.  
Tom couldn't hear her very well... The shield was quietening the voices from outside. But he knew too well what she wanted him to do. So he nodded and went into the building.  
Bianca followed him with her eyes. Then she turned to the others: "Paige, Nicki, Steve... You go and try to find the carrousel; I don't think he has it inside this building, so it must be somewhere else... And when you find it, destroy it!"  
"I'll go with them," Odin said.  
"No," Leo exclaimed looking at him. "You're the one with more experience with our powers, and now it's maybe the time to use them... So I'll go with the others... And you, protect Bianca, and my son!"  
Odin was surprised, nearly shocked by so much trust from Leo's side. But he nodded.

°°°°°°°°°°

Chris looked at the clown. He didn't move, he just looked at him. He was shocked and also scared. Scared that his friends could be hurt badly by this attack... that they could be...  
The clown moved slowly closer, he grinned widely.  
Chris shook his head trying to clear his mind. He had to do something. Even if he wasn't sure if his friends were just unconscious or dead... they would be the latter anyway, if he didn't do something quickly.  
But what should he do...? His feet and also his right hand were still chained.  
Jake went closer and closer... it seemed to Chris that he felt safe, because otherwise he would hurry a little more. But he didn't hurry... He took a lot of time to approach him slowly grinning and laughing evilly.  
"You will never get out of here, Christopher!" he said laughing, while Chris was trying to open with his left hand the chain on his right.  
"What makes you so sure?" Chris asked, still trying.  
"The forcefield around this building... No one will get in buddy, and you will never get out... Not alive, I mean." Again he laughed.  
"I still don't understand why you want to kill me?" Chris asked trying to sound self-confident and calm, which he wasn't actually.  
Jake laughed even more: "Because you betrayed us... you protect those who are not honouring our ancestors... And... the worst... you married an evil demonic girl..."  
"There is much more good in her than in you, you fucking little bastard!" Chris yelled back furious. Nobody was allowed to call Bianca evil... at least not in that way.  
The clown had reached the altar at his feet. "Now it's time to say goodbye," he said and prepared an energy ball with his right hand, glancing at the chained witch.  
Chris just stared at the ball, breathing heavily. "You're not gonna kill me," he said with clenched teeth.  
"Sure," Jake replied smiling.  
Chris closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Then he opened his eyes again.  
Jake moved the energy ball closer to him, he wanted to enjoy that moment to the fullest.  
At the same time Chris raised his hand. "I said NO!" he said with a strong voice and threw out an energy flash.  
He hit Jake on his chest making him fly backwards to the cages.  
Chris sank back on the altar, breathing fast and heavily. 'A little too much,' he thought. He heard the clown swearing. Chris knew he would be back on his feet soon, he knew he had to go on fighting. But he couldn't, he was too exhausted. He was fighting the darkness which was taking over his mind... but he felt he couldn't stand it any longer. Than he lost his consciousness.

°°°°°°°°°°

Tom was walking down a dark hallway, when he heard a lot of frightened voices. Then he saw them, a horde of people was running over into his direction. They were screaming and crying.  
Tom swallowed. How would he make them calm down, control them? "Hey!" he yelled, and tried to stop them. But they didn't... instead they were still running into his direction. They didn't even seem to notice him.  
'Oh, my God,' Tom whispered. They would run him down. They would trample him down. In panic, he closed his eyes and raised his hands in defence. He knew they would hit him...  
But nothing happened.  
Tom opened his eyes again, seeing that they had already passed by him. Then, he realised what was going on. They were holograms, they just went through him.  
He sighed relieved. Then he shook his head and followed them, calling them to stop...  
He ran after them, through the ways of the mansion... Finally the holograms were stopped at one door by the forcefield. The first one ran into it, yelling in pain. Then the whole crowd stood there looking at each other confused.  
Tom sighed: "Will you now listen to me?" The heads turned to him, fearful, some with panic.  
The young witch sighed again: "Alright... We want to help you out of here, but we need to shut down this green thing, ok... So please, help me find the source of energy of that... And if you find it, destroy it... alright?"  
For a moment nobody moved; then, they began to walk into different directions. Tom wasn't sure if they had really understood him, but he had no time to think about it.  
He heard someone yelling... it was Chris.

°°°°°°°°°°

Now Bianca was the one who was pacing around. "I need to go in there," she muttered. "I have to save him."  
Odin frowned. 'Could we combine our powers in some way... the good and the bad ones?' he thought. "Maybe we could get in together," he said to her.  
Bianca stared at him confused: "But how are we supposed to do that?"  
Odin shook his head sombre: "I just think there should be a way..."  
Bianca sighed and closed her eyes, unable to think clearly. Suddenly she felt something weird. It didn't hurt, but she felt like dizzy.  
"Are you ok?" asked a very concerned Odin, approaching her, and taking her by the arm.  
She opened her eyes and nodded: "Yes, I think so... She wants you to give me your hand."  
Odin stared at her surprised. "What?" Then he lowered his eyes towards her womb: "She?"  
Bianca smiled, and nodded. Then she took his hand, and waited. A strange dark and light blue light wrapped them both. "Let's go in..." Bianca said.  
Odin was too shocked to react. "What's happening?"  
"She... Hope... She's just like Tom, remember? She's a Mestizo..."  
Odin opened his eyes widely. Of course! How had they all forgotten about that? "But Tom was hurt, anyway..."  
"I know... But she's using a special forefield... I think she knows what she's doing."  
And she had never been so sure of anything before, so Odin just nodded and stepped forward, grasping Bianca's hand. "Let's go in, then..."

°°°°°°°°°°

"I said NO!" Tom had heard him yelling, but he didn't know where the voice had come from. Besides... what should he do? Should he go and find Chris, or should he help all those people?  
"Hey you!" he cried to a young man who was looking for a space without forcefield near a window. He turned back, startled.  
"Yes, you... Did you hear that?" The man nodded. "Do you know where he is, Chris?"  
"Chris? That's the guy who's gonna be sacrificed..."  
Tom shuddered. What if he was too late? He grasped his hand and made him come nearer: "Listen to me, I don't have time. Just tell me where he is, and take care that all these people stay here, waiting for us, ok?"  
The man nodded again. "But I can lead you there, if you like..."  
Tom stared at him pensive. Then he nodded energetically. "Ok, let's go... And you!" he cried to the others. "Just stay here and you'll be safe!" Then he told the man to lead their way, and he started to run after him.

°°°°°°°°°°

Nicki, Steve, Paige and Leo orbed directly to the place where they had been waiting with Bianca before. She had said the carrousel was over there, at least they heard the music in that place... But there was no music or anything at all.  
"And how are we supposed to find it?" Steve asked.  
Nicki shook her head... "No idea... Maybe we could try some spell?"  
"A spell for what?" Paige asked.  
Leo looked at them: "Maybe the carrousel is invisible, or it's in another plane... Try a spell to find something hidden from our sight..."  
The three witches looked at each other. None of them thought they were good at spells, so...  
"Don't look at me, I'm terrible at rhyming, Nicki, you know that..."  
"Phoebe makes all the spells at home..." Paige complained.  
"Ok... let's try..." Nicki was so impatient!  
_"White magic come to me,  
what is hidden, let me see,  
reveal to my eyes the thing we miss  
in the unseen help me believe."  
_Suddenly, the shape of the carrousel started to appear in front of them, as well as the music.

°°°°°°°°°°

Tom followed the man through the corridors of the building. Then he saw a light behind a doorway. "There?" he asked the man. He nodded. "Ok," Tom said, "Go back to the others." The man nodded again and went back as fast as he could.  
Tom turned to the doorway; carefully he approached it and looked inside the hall. Chris was lying on the altar, Cole and another man on the ground. All seemed to be unconscious. And there was someone else, the clown. He was in front of a cage, moaning in pain, as he tried to stand up.  
Tom swallowed. He had to do something. So he ran over to Chris and tried to shake his body... which was a little difficult because he couldn't touch him. So he yelled at him, to make him wake up.  
Meanwhile, the clown got slowly back to his feet, swearing. When he noticed their new guest he began to laugh evilly.  
At that moment Chris opened slowly his eyes and rose a little.  
"Hey," Tom said.  
When Chris realised who was standing next to him he had only one thing in mind: "Tom... Cole and Michael... you have to get them out of here!"  
"But how... they are holograms," Tom gave back, "I can't..."  
"Don't believe your eyes and your mind... listen to your feelings, it will work," Chris whispered.  
Tom smiled weakly, when he heard the voice of the clown: "So we have another guest here! And with this, another dead body in a few minutes."  
Then Tom turned to Chris again: "Let's pray that you're right."  
Chris let out some air and fell back to the altar. "Go," he said.  
Tom knelt down, looked at the two bodies and closed his eyes. Then, he tried to catch them. And then he felt something... it wasn't like a real touch but, he could feel them. So he shimmered, just in the second the clown threw an energy ball over to him.

°°°°°°°°°°

"That was..." Odin couldn't find the right words when the strange kind of forcefield went down the same second they were safly inside.  
But Bianca didn't care about his words. Uneasy she looked around. Then, they heard some voices and followed them.  
Seconds later they reached the group of holograms who were completely freaked out. They were like ants.  
Bianca looked at the Elder: "Take care of them, I'll find..."  
She couldn't end the sentence because in that moment, Tom shimmered in, with Cole and another man.  
"Michael!" one of the other holograms yelled, ran over and knelt down next to him.  
"Odin, you have to help them!" Tom said.  
"WHERE IS CHRIS!" Bianca cried out as loud as she could.  
Tom rose and pointed at one long way. "At the end is a great hall, but you have to hurry, I think."  
Before the young witch had ended his answer, Bianca was on her way.  
Tom turned to Odin again, who was still standing there without moving. "What are you waiting for?" he asked.  
Odin knelt down: "But how..."  
"Just try it, it'll work!"

°°°°°°°°°°

Paige and Leo looked at the young witches shocked. As soon as the carrousel had appeared and they heard the sound of it, Nicki and Steve turned to be kind of paralysed. They didn't move or even wink...  
"That's crazy," Paige said.  
Leo nodded.  
"Why does that not happen to us?" Paige asked him confused.  
Leo shrugged: "I don't know. Maybe it only infects couples..."  
"Well... whatever... we have to destroy that thing."  
Leo nodded. Paige took out the remaining potions and threw one at the carrousel. Nothing happened.  
Leo tried his energy flashes... nothing! "That's not good," he said.  
Paige frowned: "It seems to me that carrousel is protected by a kind of forcefield, too."

°°°°°°°°°°

Chris heard the clown swearing furious, and he knew Tom and the others were gone. Tom had done it, He had saved them... at least for the moment.  
Then, the voice of Jake turned calm again. "Well... who cares... I still have the one I wanted... the one who is going to give his live for all those witches in the world."  
"You will not kill me," Chris replied, but his voice was weak. He knew he couldn't defeat him anymore. He was exhausted. And it seemed to him that as a hologram he needed more time to relax to gain back his powers as usual. But he didn't plan to give up... never!  
"Yeah, traitor... Go on fighting, that makes it just funnier for me," the clown laughed preparing another energy ball. He knew Chris would not beat him, not this time.  
Now Jake was standing again at Chris's feet. The Elder-witch watched him with a mixture of anger and fear. He prepared himself to be hit by the ball gleaming in the hand of the clown...  
But instead... Jake suddenly yelled. Then he flopped over on Chris's feet, the energy ball fell down to the ground and went out to nothing.  
When Chris looked up confused he saw the dark brown eyes of his wife.  
"Are you ok, honey?" she asked.  
"Fine, thanks," Chris answered frowning, still confused and shocked.  
But it wasn't over yet. Jake rose again smiling evilly. Then he attacked Bianca. He tried to hit her, but she was too fast for him.  
The Phoenix, meanwhile, tried to steal his powers, but it didn't work. She couldn't... He had a kind of protection she couldn't defeat.  
Chris tried to free himself again, while he watched his wife fighting. Even if he already knew what she was able to do... he couldn't get used to it.  
And Bianca knew that too. Suddenly she looked over to him, while keeping Jake away with one hand. "Sorry honey," she yelled. Then she put out her little dagger and... killed him.  
Chris saw how the clown fell to the ground. Then - unusual for a witch - he ended up in flames.  
Chris stared for a while at that place where now only a little bit of ash was left.  
Bianca approached him slowly. "Are you alright?" she asked.  
Chris nodded absently. Then he turned to her: "Why did that take so long?" He grinned.  
Bianca smiled happy, to see him alright. "You know... I'm a little out of practice I think..." she said, while she opened the chains.  
Chris got up as fast as he could. Then he saw that orange light surrounding his wife, and knew what it meant. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her thankful. "I love you," he said, "you both." Then he kissed her.  
And when they finally separated, he was completely human and real again.

°°°°°°°°°°

Paige and Leo were still trying to destroy that carrousel, while Steve and Nicki were still paralized. But nothing seemed to work. Then, suddenly something changed. The colour seemed to have changed a bit.  
"What was that?" Leo asked.  
"I don't know, but try again," she said.  
Leo used again the energy flashes and this time he blew one demonic figure up. "Wow", he muttered.  
Paige now threw her last two potions, while Leo flashed the carrousel again... And finally the whole thing ended up in a large explosion, which threw them all to the ground.  
Leo was the first who got back on his feet. While helping Paige to stand up, he asked: "Are you ok?"  
She nodded, and then looked at the remaining burning pieces of the carrousel. Also the music was gone.  
"What happened?" Steve asked trying to get back on his feet.  
Paige sighed grinning at the two young witches who seemed to be back in reality: "Oh... nothing important."

°°°°°°°°°°

Odin didn't know how, but he managed to help those two holograms, while Tom tried to calm the others down.  
Cole was already up on his feet again, when Michael opened his eyes.  
"What happened?" he asked.  
"You're safe for the moment, my friend," Cole said and helped him up.  
As soon as he was standing on his feet again, Angela kissed and hugged him. Michael looked around: "Where is Chris?"  
Cole smiled weakly: "I think he is in good hands... Well... I hope so."  
"Cole, we have to go back and help him, we..."  
"Hey, don't worry, guys," they suddenly heard a well known voice. Chris was walking down the hallway, supported by his wife. He looked tired but he was alright. And he wasn't a hologram anymore.  
"You're looking great, buddy," Cole said.  
Chris just grinned. "Are you ok?" He asked his two friends. Both nodded.  
"So that's your wife?" Michael asked. Chris nodded and introduced her to him.  
"You bear an amazing little daughter," Michael said to her.  
Bianca smiled: "Thanks."  
"And now, how do we get out of here, and - to speak for us holograms - get real again?" Cole asked. "'Cause there is something I really need to do... I really need to!"  
Bianca, Tom and Odin just shrugged. But then they heard a noise, like an explosion. And seconds later, the green shield went down, and all the holograms turned to be real again.

°°°°°°°°°°

About half an hour later, Leo, Chris, Bianca, Cole and Michael orbed to the hallway of the manor. They had brought the other people to a safe place of the Elders, also Jessica and Jason. The Elders were planning to send them back to their families one by one, because when they all returned at the same time, the group would gain too much attention. And of course they were going to use the memory-dust on them. They all should forget what they had gone through, that was the best for everyone. Only Michael was allowed, and he even wanted to remember. And before Leo brought him to the others, he asked if he could meet Chris's amazing family.  
As soon as they had materialised Piper and Phoebe ran over to them, followed by Paige, who had already informed them.  
"Why are you so late?" Phoebe asked while hugging and kissing Cole.  
"Well... " He gasped for air, "there was something we had to talk about." That was true. Cole had talked with Chris again about him being a witch now. And they had decided that he himself was the one to decide if and when he would tell the others... but that was definitely not now.  
"Are you ok, son?" Piper asked hugging Chris.  
He nodded. "Where's Wyatt?"  
Piper looked at him frowning: "What do you think... at this time... in bed of course."  
Chris grinned: "Sorry... lost my perception of time a little, I think..."  
Then he turned to Michael and introduced him to the family. "It's an honour for me," he said while shaking Piper's hand.  
"And that's my other aunt... Phoebe," Chris said pointing at her. She and Cole were still kissing. Michael grinned at them, same as Chris and Bianca.  
"I love you," Phoebe muttered while kissing.  
Then Cole freed himself from her, suddenly looking very serious. "What's wrong?" she asked.  
"Nothing," he said with sparkling eyes. Then he knelt down in front of her.  
Phoebe was standing there speechless while Cole struggled to pull the little box out of his pocket. Slowly he opened it and showed the beautiful little ring to her. Then he said: "Phoebe Halliwell... I know this might not be the most romantic moment, but it's the perfect one... Will you marry me?"  
All the others were grinning while they looked at a completely overwhelmed and excited Phoebe. For a moment she just stood there, with her hands covering her mouth, completely surprised. Then she knelt down too and hugged him: "Of course I will... I will... I will..." Then they kissed again.  
"Alright," Leo said to Michael, "I think it's time for you to go to the others, too."  
The man nodded, then turned to Chris: "I'll call you as soon as they let me go home!"  
Chris nodded grinning: "Maybe I'll visit you before..." Then, Leo orbed with Michael away.

°°°°°°°°°°

It was in the middle of the night, when the phone rang. Slowly Victor got up and walked to the living room. "Yeah," he sleepy answered the phone.  
"Hey dad, it's me, Phoebe!"  
"Phoebe, honey, is everything alright? Did you solve your problems?"  
"Yeah... yeah... Dad, I have to tell you something..."  
Victor yawned: "I'm listening."  
"Cole and me... we're going to marry!"  
"Really?" Within a second he was completely awake.  
"Yeah, Cole asked me just a few minutes ago..."  
"Honey that's great," he replied, "and when?"  
He heard a giggling on the other end of the line. Then his daughter answered: "Not that fast... first there are a few babies to be born, then we'll find a good day to marry..."  
Victor smiled: "Alright... But now I need to go to bed... Have a good night..."  
"Good night dad," she said.  
"Good night daddy," this was Cole's voice from somewhere in the background.  
Victor chuckled and then he hung up the phone. Still grinning he went back to bed and immediately fell asleep again.

_

* * *

(Chapter 11 written by Belén and Chrissy.W.x)_

**_

* * *

And that's the end of part 5! We hope you've enjoyed it... Next part "A Charmed Story - Part Six" will start on October 6th... so stay tuned!_**


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